January 2015

Paedophile jailed

Crewe paedophile who distributed grotesque images of young boys being abused has been sentenced to prison for two years

Robert Bradbury, 50, downloaded hundreds of explicit images of youngsters as young as three from his home at Alton Street, Crewe.

He emailed the images to 99 other recipients and claimed some of the sick images were of a bogus son he called ‘Tom’, even though he doesn’t have any children.

Bradbury chatted with ‘like-minded dads’ via email before sending them explicit photos of boys being abused by adults, Chester Crown Court heard last Friday.

He was jailed for a total of two years after pleading guilty to three counts of making and three of distributing the indecent images, described by Judge Raj Shetty as ‘beyond disturbing’.

During a two-year period Bradbury, of Alton Street, downloaded 521 explicit images of children – 238 of which were level A, the most graphic.

These images were of boys as young as eight, the court heard. Others were of children as young as three.

Bradbury also admitted exchanging 99 images, 17 of which were level A, after meeting other men on a website.

Paulinus Barnes, prosecuting said: “He described images of boys claiming they were his sons. They were all false claims, he did not have any children.”

One of the men Bradbury emailed said he was pleased to ‘exchange with a like minded dad’. In further emails Bradbury sent explicit images and at times claimed they were of himself as a child.

Bradbury, who has no previous convictions or cautions and was described as an ‘exemplary character’, was arrested in January 2013 – after police received information concerning an email account.

He admitted the offences and even directed officers to two other email accounts he had been using.

Bradbury was described as ‘remorseful’, seeking help, telling his barrister Silas Reid he didn’t know ‘what possessed [him] to do it’.

Sentencing Bradbury to a total of two years and making him subject to a sexual offences prevention order for 10 years, Judge Shetty said Bradbury did not just distribute images but was satisfied by the very idea of sexual abuse having taken place.

He said: “These are real children who have been sexually abused. The real evil is the distribution.”

Bradbury will be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

January 2015

Padgate paedophile caught with 800 images of children

A PADGATE man was caught with more than 800 indecent images and videos of children by an online force that hunts for paedophiles on the internet.

The computer of Brendan Bennett, of Duxford Court, Padgate, was targeted by the online children protection centre with information given to Cheshire Police.

Warrington Crown Court heard on Friday how the 42-year-old also used file sharing software to allow others to access the child pornography.

James Coutts, prosecuting, said: “The IP address was linked to the defendant’s home address and on April 15 officers executed a search warrant.

“Officers seized a computer and hard drive from his property.”

The court heard 12 of the videos were of the most serious category.

There was also one video of extreme pornography involving animals, while search terms had been used to look for illegal material over eight years.

Mr Coutts said during a police interview Bennett denied any sexual interest in children, claiming he had searched for adult pornography.

However, when confronted with the search terms, he admitted the offences and told police he was ‘glad’ to be arrested.

“It’s very clear this man has an unhealthy interest in children,” added Mr Coutts.

“He has watched images of children in the very recent past.”

On December 16, Bennett pleaded guilty to one count of possessing indecent photos, four counts of making indecent photos, and one count of possessing extreme pornography.

He has no previous convictions.

John Banasko, defending, said: “The defendant needs punishing but by the same token, he needs rehabilitating.

“This offensive behaviour needs addressing.”

Judge Nicholas Woodward sentenced Bennett to two years in prison, suspended for two years, two years supervision and a sex offender’s programme.

January 2015

Sex attacker who blind-folded and raped a young girl jailed

Russell Hamilton, of Dalry, Ayrshire, repeatedly abused his victim starting when she was just three years old.

The youngster’s ordeal only ended last October when she told her parents.

It lead to Hamilton appearing at the High Court in Glasgow where he pled guilty to rape and two child abuse images charges.

The 25 year-old first offender was remanded in custody and will learn his fate in March.

The child’s family were in court to hear details of the abuse. Many sobbed as the grim facts were read out.

Hamilton preyed on the child between September 2011 and October last year.

He regularly visited the girl’s family home – initially in Stenhousemuir and later in Falkirk, both Stirlingshire.

He was trusted with contact with the youngster, but took advantage of that by sexually abusing the child.

Hamilton eventually on one occasion blind-folded her with a T-shirt and raped her.

Hamilton was finally snared last October when his young victim revealed what happened.

The court heard the girl could not settle in her bed and later told family that Hamilton had been touching her.

When police later went to quiz him, he told them: “I know what it’s about.”

Officers then found a stash of indecent images Hamilton had stored at his then home in Thorsk, Stirling.

This included footage of the young girl – including when she was apparently sleeping.

Hamilton denied to police using any force with the youngster during the abuse.

He claimed what he had done was “always on his mind” prior to being caught.

Judge Lord Burns deferred sentencing for reports until March at the High Court in Aberdeen

January 2015

Bristol child sex gang jail sentences ‘increased’

Said Zakaria (l) and Omar Jumale (r) had their original jail sentences increased at the Court of Appeal

Two Bristol men involved in a sex ring, which involved the rape, abuse and prostitution of teenage girls, have had their jail sentences increased.

Said Zakaria, 22, was sentenced to 11 years in prison last November. His sentence has been increased to 16 years at the Court of Appeal.

Click this for: Bristol Somali sex abuse gang: The full horrific story

Omar Jumale, 20, has had his two-year sentence increased to three years.

They were part of a gang of nine men who committed a range of sexual offences on four young girls.

Zakaria was found guilty at Bristol Crown Court of rape and having sex with a child. Jumale was found guilty of having sex with a child.

Their cases were referred to the Court of Appeal by the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland, as being unduly lenient.

Speaking after the hearing he said: “Zakaria and Jumale were part of a wider gang that targeted young and vulnerable girls with no regard for their safety and welfare.”

The trial had heard that a 13-year-old was raped four times by three men in a Premier Inn in Bristol city centre.

The victims, aged between 13 and 17, were told it was part of the men’s “culture and tradition” and “men always have sex with each other’s girlfriends”.

January 2015

Denton man jailed for engaging in sexual activity with an underage girl

A man has been jailed after pleading guilty to engaging in sexual activity with an underage girl.

Paul Linton, 43, of Stockport Road, Denton, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison by Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester.

He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to seven counts of sexual activity with a child.

The girl has spoken of her relief following his sentencing.

However, her family believes Linton was not jailed for long enough.

The victim, who cannot be named, said: “I felt confused, isolated and unable to tell anyone, but I came forward because I wanted to reach out to other girls and encourage other victims to come forward and talk.

“After the sentencing, I feel relieved and much happier within myself.”

A family member added: “This has ruined her, taking away all her innocence.

“What she has been through has devastated the whole family.

“She is now on lots of medication to help her.

“She has been having trouble sleeping and has been really affected by what happened to her.

“We just hope that time is a healer for her and she will get through it in time.

“We feel the sentencing is not enough.

“We were hoping for double figures but we got half of what we expected.”

Detective Constable Jo Tinsley, of Greater Manchester Police’s Tameside division, said: “The girl was very brave to come forward and disclose such horrific experiences and I would like to commend her for that.

“I hope this sentence gives the victim some peace, knowing Linton is behind bars, and she can move on with her life.”

January 2015

Paedophile St Albans pensioner sexually abused 7 yr old girl a generation after he was convicted of other child sex assaults

A pensioner who sexually abused a seven year old girl a generation after he was convicted of child sex assaults has been jailed for four years.

Frederick Newman, 73, also received an extended sentence of a further three years which means that when he is released he will be on licence and liable to be returned to prison until he is 80.

Sentencing him at St Albans crown court, Judge Andrew Bright QC told Newman that he regarded him as a “dangerous offender” who is “a menace to young children.”

Newman, of Betty Entwhistle House, Holyrood Crescent, St Albans, appeared for sentence via a video link from Bedford prison. At an earlier hearing he admitted two charges of sexually assaulting a child aged under 13.

Prosecutor Edward Lewis said the alarm was raised last February when the girl suffered problems at school. She told an educational psychiatrist what had happened.

Newman was arrested and told the police there had been a “misunderstanding.”

Mr Lewis said that in 1988 he had been convicted of two charges of indecent assault on a 14 year old boy and in 1990 was convicted of charges of gross indecency against a child.

Defence barrister Jessica Sobey said when his wife learnt of the case against him she “ejected” Newman from their home and he had been sleeping rough until he was remanded in custody.

She said he was not a well man as he suffered from coronary heart disease and other medical complications.

Ms Sobey said Newman had been abused himself as a child and asked for credit for his guilty plea. On his release she said Newman wanted to be relocated to another area.

Judge Bright made a Sexual Offences Prevention Order banning Newman from having unsupervised contact with anyone aged under 16. He must register as a sex offender for life.

January 2015

Brave child sexual abuse victim tells court of abuse – Offender jailed

A brave survivor of child sexual abuse sobbed in court as she told a judge how the “harrowing” abuse she endured as a child has affected her entire life.

The woman took the unusual step of reading out her own impact statement – and said: “Things have been so hard for 20 years.”

She was a small child when Philip Leigh Rudd abused her in Darlington in the 1990s, Teesside Crown Court was told.

Rudd sat emotionless in the dock as his victim wept while she bravely carried on reading her statement.

She told Judge Peter Bowers: “My childhood innocence has been stolen from me and I will never be able to get this back.

“While I feel relieved i was believed, I feel anger and upset I was made to go through the court process and relive these painful memories.

“I was belittled and made to look like a fantasist by the cross-examination. It was awful and horrendous . . . the worst experience of my life.”

Rudd, of Bridge Street, Brough, Cumbria, was found guilty of ten of the 11 charges of indecent assault and indecency with a child he faced.

The 35-year-old construction worker, who still maintains he is innocent, was jailed for six years and put on the sex offenders’ register for life.

The victim said she suffers recurring nightmares, and they got worse as the trial approached, and is now hoping therapy will take them away.

Martin Towers, mitigating, said Rudd should be treated as a teenager in sentencing, as he was when he carried out the attacks.

He told the court that he continues to have the support of his family and his partner, and hopes to get back into work after serving his sentence.

Mr Towers said: “Young people have less ability to recognise the effect of their actions on others. They may not appreciate the consequences of misconduct.”

January 2015

Paedophile told court he has an interest in incest and not children

A PERVERT caught in an international sting by Interpol after buying child abuse films from a Canadian film company claimed to have an interest in ‘incest, not children’, a court heard.

Kevin Politt, aged 38, of Bagnall Close, Great Sankey, was collared after Azov Films, which distributed pictures and films of young children having sex, was probed by authorities in Canada.

A drawn out investigation that started in 2005 was ‘resurrected’ in 2010, with Interpol investigating customer lists.

Warrington Crown Court heard on Thursday how Politt had ordered a film called ‘Love, Strange Love’ which featured an underage girl having sex.

After returning from work to find police searching his house, the defendant directed officers to where the film was kept.

He initially claimed he ordered it as a ‘coming of age film’, and not as illegal pornography.

Politt ‘denied any sexual interest in children’, the court heard, although 184 indecent images of children were found on a hard drive seized by police.

However, the hard drive was no longer in use and the images could not be viewed unless with expert technology.

The defendant told police he was ‘fascinated by incest’ and he would put search terms into his computer ‘connected to that topic’.

Politt later admitted to using search terms like ‘school girl’, ‘pre-teen’, ‘little girl’, ‘young son and mum’, ’10-year-old boy’ and ‘two sisters’.

The court heard nine of the images were of the most serious kind.

Politt, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to nine counts of making indecent images and one count of possessing indecent images.

John Banasko, defending, said Politt had stopped accessing child pornography several years ago and was attempting to alter his behaviour through counselling.

“The defendant is showing genuine remorse,” said Mr Banasko.

“During the interview they showed him some of the images and he broke down and was disgusted by what he saw.”

Judge Raj Shetty said he was able to spare Politt jail as the images were downloaded between 2006 and 2007 and he could be rehabilitated instead.

He added: “I’m dealing with photos of real children who had really been abused.

“Depraved acts committed on these children is something I can’t ignore.

“You have managed your own affairs to make sure you can’t use a computer for a nefarious purpose.”

Politt was sentenced to eight months in prison suspended for two years, a sex offenders treatment programme and 200 hours unpaid work

January 2015

Tewkesbury man, 58, admits having indecent images of children and contacting boys through Skype

A Tewkesbury man who contacted boys via Skype has been warned “prison is almost inevitable” after he admitted a string of sexual offences.

Michael Trust became tearful and looked down solemnly as he pleaded guilty to 14 charges including six of attempting to make underage boys engage in sexual activity.

The 58-year-old of Greystone Close further admitted three charges of making indecent images of children, one of possession and four of distributing the images.

Gloucester Crown Court heard he had made more than 2,724 incident images of children on or before March 2013.

The court also heard how he had contacted six boys, aged 13, 14, and 15, through the internet video chatting service, and tried to get them to engage in sexual activity between December 13, 2010 and August 13, 2013.

Trust’s voice became choked up and tears filled his eyes as he entered his final guilty pleas.

Defending Rupert Lowe said Trust had not been coercive in his actions.

“These are not people that needed to be persuaded because it was what they did with a number of people,” he added.

Judge Jamie Tabor QC ordered a pre-sentence report to be prepared on Trust before he finds out his sentence on March 6.

He told him: “You are in a lot of trouble I’m afraid. I will order a pre-sentence report, but please do not read into that.

“I have to tell you that prison is almost inevitable in this case.”

He was bailed on the condition he had no unsupervised contact with any person under the age of 16.

January 2015

Sailor sacked from Royal Navy over indecent images of children and animals

A paedophile sailor has been sacked from the Royal Navy for possessing indecent images of children and ANIMALS.

Able Seaman Christopher Britnell, 25, had a haul of more than 80 sexually explicit pictures including 25 of bestiality stored on three computerised devices.

The sickening images were discovered by a former partner of the submarine engineer technician, based at HMS Clyde, Scotland, who reported him to police.

Prosecutor Lt Neil Maclennan described four sample images before reading out an online conversation about child pornography Britnell took part in.

Maclennan said: “In a conversation you explained to another online user that you had an interest in children aged between seven and 17.

“You then went on to say that you were looking for videos of children in this age range. This conversation shows that Britnell clearly has an interest in young children.

“When he was interviewed by the police he admitted to downloading images from the internet and to swapping these images with other people online.”

Britnell, 25, pleaded guilty to nine charges at a court martial at HMS Nelson, Portsmouth, Hants.

The hearing was told more than 80 of the images discovered fell into the two highest bands of indecency.

Police also found 100 images had been downloaded and saved to the hard drive of Britnell’s PC before he attempted to wipe them from the system.

Britnell had his vehicle and two rooms of his lodgings searched after being arrested in February 2013.

Lt Cdr Frances Coles-Hendry, defending, said: “He understands that this was an extremely indecent set of offences and he knows that he deserves punishment.

“He put in an early guilty plea and has followed the rules and guidelines attached to the sex offenders list.

“He has no other previous convictions and co-operated fully when questioned by police.

“He has admitted his crime to his family and they have decided to support him through this ordeal.

“It is for this reason I believe he should be given a rehabilitation program rather than a custodial sentence.”

Britnell was given a suspended eight month prison sentence and ordered to take part in a sex offenders program or to seek one-on-one supervision for the following two years.

Judge John Camp said: “He was very frank about the whole situation and he deserves credit for that.

“He did however download images and save them to his devices in order to view them in his own time.

“It has also been recorded that he swapped and shared these indecent images over the internet.

“Although he only did this for four months and a short period of time it is unclear if he could have continued this behaviour if he had not been caught by police.”

January 2015

Facebook pervert who targeted 4 young girls jailed

A loner who groomed girls through Facebook and sexually assaulted one of them has been jailed for three years and nine months.

Blaine Dalton, from Bestwood Park, was told by a judge he he had “exploited the phenomenon” of the internet after he targeted four girls aged between 11 and 14 years.

He chatted to them and got them to send over naked photos, Nottingham Crown Court heard on January 29.

Dalton, 22, pleaded guilty to six charges –two of causing or inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and causing or inciting her to be involved in pornography by sending him nude photographs of herself.

January 2015

Dance instructor who had sex with two schoolgirls is finally jailed for four years after original judge let him walk free

A sleazy dance instructor spared jail after carrying on simultaneous sexual relationships with two schoolgirls has finally been jailed for four years.

Jon Broni, 23, “exploited the infatuation” of the two 15-year-olds, who were horrified to discover he had been seeing them both at the same time.

However, a judge at Manchester Crown Court allowed him to walk free in November last year – saying the teenagers had given him their “fulsome consent”.

Overturning that decision today, and jailing Broni for four years, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Judge Martin Rudland had “quite simply got it wrong”.

Lord Justice Davis said: “Girls this age need protection against themselves. So, ostensible consent counts for little or nothing.”

Broni, of Wendover Road, Wythenshawe, was handed a community sentence last year after he admitted counts of illicit sexual activity with the two girls.

He was put under supervision for three years and ordered to attend a sex offenders’ treatment programme.

However, the “too soft” sentence was challenged at London’s Appeal Court by Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC.

Three top judges today agreed with him that letting Broni walk free was ‘unduly lenient’ – and hit him with a four-year jail term.

Broni’s victims had become obsessed with the highly-talented street dancer, who ran his own studio in Swinton, Lord Justice Davis said.

When they discovered the truth, he blustered: “You can’t choose who you fall in love with”.

He also swapped naked pictures with the youngsters who were each “manipulated into sexual activity”, added the judge.

He persisted even when friends and colleagues warned him about his behaviour

Broni’s crimes came to light after one of the girls’ mums discovered an incriminating photo on her phone.

Closer enquiries revealed he had enjoyed steamy sex sessions with both girls simultaneously.

Lord Justice Davis, sitting with Mr Justice Simon and Mr Justice Holgate, said there was an “element of grooming” in Broni’s case, although not as great as in some others.

He added: “True, he didn’t use any force or coercion; that would have been an even more significantly aggravating factor – but he didn’t need to.

“They were under his influence and he exploited their infatuation.”

Broni should have expected a sentence of at least six years, said the judge.

He concluded: “Bearing in mind all these matters, the court takes the view that the appropriate sentence to be imposed is a total of four years”.

Broni was ordered to surrender himself at Swinton police station to begin his jail term.

January 2015

Pervert found guilty on seven charges of child indecency

A former Furnace driving instructor was found guilty by majority jury at his trial at Dunoon Sheriff Court today (Thursday) on seven charges of child indecency, found not guilty on one charge with another not proven.

Trevor Malcolm Cole (57, above), now living in Cambridgeshire, originally faced 12 charges relating to offences against boys aged between seven and 13

Three of the charges were dropped during the trial.

One offence took place in 2004, the rest between 2011 and 2013

One of the young victims was from Tarbert, where Mr Cole used to live – the rest from the Loch Fyne-side village of Furnace.

Mr Cole denied all charges, claiming none of the events took place and that the boys and some of their parents had conspired to fabricate allegations.

The court heard that three of the boys, all from Furnace, were sexually assaulted on an isolated forest track opposite the nearby Auchindrain Township Museum while being taught to drive.

One boy said that Cole had invited him to watch porn videos with him while Cole exposed himself and others said Cole had tried to expose or touch their private parts.

The youngsters gave evidence via a video link.

One dad said: “Cole was head of the parent council at the local school, and was always taking photos of kids.

“We always thought it must be to do with the school or whatever, and although he came across as a bit weird, no one though he would be capable of this.

“It has been a year from hell for everyone concerned.

“He totally abused his position of trust in the worst possible way and it has had a horrific effect on the whole village.

“I hope that he is sent to prison for a long time when he is sentenced.

“When he was on bail before the trial, he was still walking around the village like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“His victims were left terrified every time they saw him wandering around.

“He abused kids in his car and in his home when his partner was on night shift.”

Sheffield-born Cole’s live-in girlfriend has now returned to England.

Following the guilty verdict, Sheriff Thomas Ward told the court he believed his sentencing powers were not adequate to deal with Cole.

The maximum sentence Sheriff Ward could hand down was five years, so he referred the case to the High Court for sentencing,
which will take place on March 9.

Cole had lived in Scotland for at least nine years before his crimes were discovered.

They came to light after some of his victims were overheard discussing calling Childline about one of their friends who they said had “been raped” by Cole.

Parents then spoke to the victims and were horrified to learn what Cole had done to them.

He was able to get away with the abuse as it is legal for under-17s to have driving lessons as long as they are not on public roads.

The miles of deserted forest tracks in the area near his home gave him the perfect opportunity to get youngsters alone.

Defending, Lorraine Glancy QC insisted that Cole was innocent of all charges and that the boys were all telling lies.

Procurator fiscal David Glancy (no relation) said that Cole’s behaviour was ‘a catalogue of inappropriate conduct towards these boys for his own sexual gratification’.

Jurors heard evidence over seven days at Dunoon Sheriff Court, taking a full day to consider their verdict.

Addressing Mr Cole Sheriff Thomas Ward said: “You have been found guilty of a vast catalogue of offences against young boys against a background of compelling evidence.”

Sentencing will take place on March 8 after criminal justice and social work and psychiatric reports are compiled.

Cole was remanded in custody until then.

On Cole’s website, he offered driving lessons for £24 an hour as well as a range of learner packages.

He boasted of having passed the Approved Driving Instructor qualification in 2011 and said he used a Citroen DS3, praised by Jeremy Clarkson as being “the best small car you can buy at present”.

April 2009

Jail for pervert who ran a children’s stage school

THE head of a Tamworth stage school for youngsters who downloaded ‘disgusting’ pornographic photos and movies of children from the Internet has been jailed for four months.

Police began to investigate Sean Johnson – who used the name Sean Letman – following complaints from parents about his behaviour at his Majestic UK stage school, Stafford Crown Court heard.

On October 10 last year, officers went to a Tamworth hotel where he had been giving drama lessons.

They seized his laptop computer which contained 34 indecent photos and 23 movies, all featuring boys under the age of 12.

They included images of a serious level four, showing adults having sex with boys.

Mr Nick Burn, prosecuting, said Johnson claimed he got no sexual gratification from the images.

But Judge Paul Glenn, sentencing Johnson at Stafford Crown Court last Friday, told the defendant that story was ‘ridiculous’.

The judge branded him a ‘high risk’ of causing harm to young children.

“I find your case a worrying one,” he said.

“You were running a drama club aimed specifically at children, you were working with children on a regular basis.

“You actively sought out these images and you downloaded them.

“I don’t accept you had no sexual interest in young boys,” said the judge.

Johnson, aged 27, admitted 16 charges of making indecent pseudo-photos of children and a separate offence of failing to comply with the requirements of the Sex Offenders’ Register.

Mr Burn said Johnson had pleaded guilty before magistrates in Tamworth to the downloading offences in January and the court had ordered him to register as a sex offender by attending a police station within the following three days.

He failed to comply, was arrested on January 31 and remanded in custody until he appeared before the crown court on February 27.

Judge Peter Carr then remanded him to a hostel in Stoke-on-Trent for assessment for a community penalty, but he failed to comply with the hostel’s regulations and was re-arrested.

Along with the jail sentence, Judge Glenn also banned Johnson from working with children indefinitely, made him subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for five years and ordered him to register as a sex offender with the police for the next seven years.

Mr Andrew Molloy, defending, said Johnson, a graduate with no previous convictions, had a number of ‘issues’ at the hostel.

January 2015

Man pleads guilty to sexual offences

On the 23 rd January, at Durham crown court Jonathan Race of Scafell Gardens, Crook pleaded guilty to a total of 13 sexual offences against a 13 year old schoolgirl

Race has now been bailed and will return for sentencing on the 27 th February

The defendant was told not to contact the victim by any means whatsoever

May 2013

Crook man admits tattooing children as young as 13

A MUSIC student bought a tattoo gun off the internet and used it on children as young as 13.

Jonathan Race admits placing tattoos on five children, aged between 13 and 15, between March 30 and April 1.

The 18-year-old, who is studying music at the Sage in Gateshead, bought a tattoo gun and ink off the internet and had practised on his own arms and body before moving onto his younger friends.

One youngster had the word “fox” tattooed on his shoulder.

Deborah Jones, prosecuting at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court (Friday, May 3), said Race’s actions came to light when the victim’s parents discovered the tattoos and complained to the police.

She said the children had asked Race, of Laburnum Avenue, Crook, County Durham, to carry out out the tattoos and, although they did not consider themselves to be victims of crime, their parents were not happy.

“The police were contacted by two parents on April 3,” said Ms Jones. “They said they had not given their consent and were concerned as the tattoos had been carried out by someone who is not a professional and is not qualified to tattoo minors.”

The court heard how Race had read the instruction booklet that came with the tattoo gun and had disinfected all of the equipment.

However, he accepted he was not qualified to tattoo children and pleaded guilty to five charges of tattooing a person under 18 for reasons other than medical.

Darren Brown, mitigating, said Race had not been sure of the law concerning tattoos, adding: “His actions were down to his immaturity and stupidity more than anything else.”

Race received a 12-month conditional discharge and was ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge.

Update: James Whiffin was sentenced to four years imprisonment

October 1998

Old men guilty of raping young boys

MONSTERS who preyed on young boys in Bricket Wood nudist camps were finally punished for their crimes – 30 years later.

Robert Showler, 82, of Ampthill, in Bedfordshire, and Lauchlan Ashcroft, 68, of Lye Lane, Bricket Wood, had inflicted years of torment through rape, assaults and beatings almost on a daily basis.

The pair were part of a sadistic group of men who passed youngsters around like toys. In the cover of wooden chalets and caravans, the children endured appalling acts of sexual depravity.

Ashcroft was co-owner of the Gardenia naturist camp while Showler lived permanently on the neighbouring Spielplatz site and, between them, led a reign of terror.

One victim estimates that he was abused approximately a thousand times by Lauchlan Ashcroft over a period of six years or so

Two years ago, another one of their victims, after watching a television programme on child abuse, decided he could no longer keep quiet about what had happened at the hands of the men in the early 1970’s when he was just nine years old.

Now 36 and married with children, he could not live with the secret any more.

Another man on trial was James Whiffin, 53, who had also been involved in the paedophile ring. In passing sentence, Judge Ronald Moss concluded that, even at 82, Showler still posed a risk to children.

Ashcroft was jailed for seven years while Showler received nine months. Whiffin will be sentenced later this week.

January 2015

Tony Ferrari, 70, jailed for seven years for 13 counts of indecent assault against two girls

A man has been jailed for seven years for historic sex offences against two girls.

The assaults came to light last year after one of the victims went to police and told them what Tony Ferrari had done to her years ago.

During police investigations the second girl then came forward.

Ferrari, now 70 of Southfield Road, Almondbury, admitted 13 offences of indecent assault against the two girls.

Sophie Drake, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court today (Thursday) that one of the complainants had suffered mental-health difficulties since and had received counselling.

She said she felt particularly sorry for not having reported the abuse at the time which might have saved the second girl from also becoming a later victim of Ferrari.

Richard Canning, representing Ferrari, said he had been a hard-working man of previous good character and the sentence would be difficult at his age.

Jailing Ferrari, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said although years had passed, the impact on the complainants had clearly been substantial.

He was ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely.

January 2015

Blurton dad-of-four jailed for raping young schoolgirl

PERVERT Carl Dyson has been jailed for 11 years after he raped a young child after luring her inside a tent.

The father-of-four groomed the youngster before carrying out a string of sexual assaults on her.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard the 29-year-old persuaded the girl to go inside a tent he erected in a secluded spot on the edge of playing fields near a wooded area before he abused her.

He touched her in a sexual manner over and under her clothing and he took photos of the girl on his phone.

On one occasion he orally raped the schoolgirl and he also attempted to rape her.

Prosecutor Mark Heywood said: “The defendant erected a tent and invited the girl inside where he took the opportunity to abuse her.

“After his arrest his computer was seized by the police and there were a number of photographs which showed the girl in situations of very clear indecency.”

Dyson, formerly of Waterside Drive, Blurton, denied once charge of rape of a child under 13; one attempted rape of a child under 13; six charges of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity; and five charges of sexual assault of a child under 13.

But he was convicted by a jury of all 13 charges after a trial last month.

Anis Ali, mitigating, said Dyson now admits his wrongdoing and accepts the jury’s findings.

He added the reason the defendant had the trial was because he was fearful of reprisals and losing his family.

He said the girl was not physically harmed or injured.

Mr Ali said: “He is grateful for the position he is now in. It has brought the situation to an end.

“It was a deeply unpleasant situation for the victim.”

Judge David Fletcher said the offences involved a significant degree of planning and grooming. He added that the defendant deliberately isolated the girl.

Jailing Dyson for 11 years, Judge Fletcher said: “It was perfectly clear during the trial that this girl at the time was in complete turmoil. She did not know how to deal with it.

“The injured party started to feel it was her fault and started to involve herself in self harm.

“She was particularly vulnerable.

“It was clear to you that she was coming to that tent, not because she wanted to, but because she had no-one to fall back on.”

Dyson will serve half the sentence with the rest on licence.

He was made the subject of a 15 year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) which prevents him having any unsupervised contact with any girl under the age of 16.

And he will be on the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.

January 2015

Rapist jailed for foster home sex attack on six year old girl

A teenager trapped a six-year-old girl in a room brutally raped her at a foster home.

Aaron Abbott, now aged 23, was 16 at the time he carried out the brutal attack on the youngster at the house in south Leeds.

Abbott was jailed for nine years at Leeds Crown Court after a jury found him guilty of rape.

The trial heard Abbott blocked the door of the room with a wardrobe and pushed socks into the youngster’s mouth when she tried to scream for help.

After the attack Abbott told the young victim that he would do the same thing to her again if she ever told anyone.

The court heard the incident was not reported until more than a year after the attack when the girl told one of her friends about what had happened.

She then told a teacher about her ordeal.

The offence happened at a time when Abbott, now of Sawley Close, Eastmoor, Wakefield, and the girl were in the care of foster parents.

A judge described how the girl was particularly vulnerable at the time of the sex attack and was not receiving adequate care.

Judge Sally Cahill, QC, said: “I am perfectly satisfied from the evidence I have heard…that within that foster home she was isolated and was not being given the care that one would hope by the adults.

The judge told Abbott: “She was isolated and had no one to turn to when she was assaulted by you.”

The court heard the victim had self harmed since the incident and is still struggling to come to terms with what happened to her.

Matthew Harding, mitigating, said Abbott was only a child himself when he committed the offence. He described that attack as an isolated incident which had never been repeated.

Detective Inspector Lawrence Bone, of Leeds District Safeguarding Unit, said: “Abbott put the victim through an appallingly traumatic ordeal which deeply affected her for many years before she felt able to tell anyone about what he had done. He has now been convicted and received a significant prison sentence.

“This case once again highlights that the passage of time should be no deterrent to victims coming forward and reporting offences. We have specially trained safeguarding officers who can support them through the investigation and the court process to see the offender brought to justice.”

January 2015

Retired teacher warned he faces jail after pleading guilty to child sex offences

A retired teacher from Coventry has been told he is likely to be jailed after he admitted sexual offences against three boys in the 1980s.

John Patton had originally been arrested over indecent assaults on two of his victims – but press reports then led to a further charge after an earlier victim came forward.

And at the crown court in Leamington, Patton, 75, of Mount Nod, Coventry, pleaded guilty to two charges of indecently assaulting 15-year-old boys in 1984.

The court heard he committed the offences by touching the boys’ over their clothing.

His plea of not guilty to a further charge alleging he performed a sex act on one of the boys was accepted.

Patton also pleaded guilty to a single charge on a second indictment of indecently assaulting another 15-year-old in 1981 or 1982 by touching him under his clothing.

Prosecutor Philip Bradley said: “The 1984 matter was arrest number one. The press reports from the first indictment incited the interest of the complainant in the second indictment, and so it was that it came to light.”

The court heard that the offences in 1984 had taken place at Patton’s home, while the earlier incident had taken place in London.

The case was adjourned for pre-sentence and medical reports to be prepared on Patton, who is said to suffer from a heart condition.

He was granted bail with conditions of living at his home address, complying with a nightly curfew and not contacting any of his victims.

But Judge Andrew Lockhart QC told him: “You have pleaded guilty to serious matters which involved a serious breach of trust when you were a teacher.

“You must understand that because of the offences you have pleaded guilty to, the likely outcome of this case will be a custodial sentence; but all options will be open to the court to consider when it has seen all the reports.”