January 2015

Northampton man admits possessing child abuse images and extreme pornographic image involving a pig

A 45-year-old man from Northampton has admitted possessing indecent images of children as well as extreme pornographic images and videos involving a pig.

Edward Fox, of Tintern Avenue, Spencer, appeared at Northampton Crown Court after he was charged with possessing more than 1,600 indecent images of children.

He was also found in possession of 20 images of extreme pornography involving a pig and four videos of a similar nature.

The images were downloaded by Fox between April 18, 2010 and October 9, 2013.

Fox pleaded guilty to four charges of possessing indecent images and extreme pornography.

He also pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing cannabis.

The case was adjourned until next month to allow time for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

January 2015

‘My dad raped me and performed a home abortion on me but I forgive him’

A WOMAN who was raped by her father who then went on to perform a home abortion on her when she fell pregnant has told how she forgives him after years of horrific abuse.

Judy acted as a “dutiful wife” to Noah Walsh from the age of six after her mother left.

Judy, now 46, cooked and cleaned for Walsh who raped her and even shot her in the chest.

He was jailed for 15 years at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin after she approached the police and told them about what happened.

In court Walsh, who has since died, said: “We (me and Judy) lived as husband and wife.”

Despite this, Judy went to visit her father as he was dying – and told him she loved him and forgave him.

She said the bullying started when she was young.

She said “Most people have happy childhood memories.

“Mine include my dad teaching me to swim and taking me for picnics. But I have a lot of bad ones memories too.

“When I was six and my dad taught me to box. I was only little but he expected me to fight him, even though it hurt me.

“He was mean to my mum and called her useless and lazy and hit her.”

When she was six her mother left, returning but leaving again when she was ten.

“Each time she left he treated me like his dutiful wife,”

Judy said: “I should have been going to school. But he didn’t let me. He said, ‘you have too much to do here.’

“I had to stay home and look after my five kid siblings. I had to get up early to make breakfast for everyone, and pack their lunchboxes.

“I was made to wash our clothes by hand, as we didn’t have a machine.”

Walsh won custody of his daughter while she was still young and he continued to bully her.

“He threatened me with knives,” she recalled. “The back-breaking housework left me feeling exhausted.

“By the evening I was always ready for bed – but my dad had other ideas.

“He made me stay up with him until he wanted to go bed.

“He would then demand that I sleep in his room, and would force himself on me.

“I was only a kid when he started to sexually assault and rape me. I was in such pain afterwards. He left me feeling confused and totally worthless.

“My siblings never saw him do this.

“They didn’t know I fell pregnant that year either as, fortunately for dad, I miscarried.”

When she was 13 she had her bones broken and he threatened to shoot her.

“He told me I was evil and wasn’t worthy of his love,” she said. “He said he had sacrificed having a life himself, to save me.

“He told me, ‘If you don’t change I’m going to have to kill you.’

“One day when I was 14, he got angry and shot me in the chest.”

On this occasion a neighbour called an ambulance.

Doctors told her she could have died, and the police were told she had shot herself.

“We kept moving house so we didn’t have neighbours looking out for us, or my school,” she recalled.

“Dad forbade me to go so I didn’t have friends to confide in.

“He’d force me to wait for him in his bed for when he got home from work. That same year, I fell pregnant a second time.

“I wanted to keep the baby as I was incredibly lonely locked up all day. I hoped it would give me someone to talk to.

“But dad couldn’t risk people knowing what he’d done to me.

“So he punched me in the stomach, made me take scolding hot baths, to try and end the pregnancy.

“Finally he carried out a home abortion using a coat hanger.”

Two years later she had another abortion at a clinic.

“Later I apologised to dad for getting pregnant,” she said. “I felt it was my fault. I was brainwashed.”

Judy was 20 she escaped and went to London where she trained as an accountant.

“I had realised if I didn’t make a run for it or I might not get another chance.,” she said.

After a time she headed to South Africa and met a man called Tiny, now 46, who encouraged her to contact the police.

In October 2000, Walsh, then 55, appeared at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.

He admitted three charges of rape and two of indecent exposure.

The court heard they were five sample charges from 30 in all.

“There wasn’t a screen in the court room, and I looked straight at dad as I gave evidence,” Judy, who has since married, said.

“In a statement read out to the court, my dad had described our relationship as special.

“He’d said, ‘we lived as husband and wife, so when my daughter left, my world fell apart.’”Justice Carney described the crimes “as one of the worst cases of this nature he had ever heard.”

Walsh, of Sandymount, County Monaghan, was jailed for 15 years.

In 2004 Judy received a message from police saying her father was in a hospice with terminal lung cancer.

So she decided to see him.

“I realised I had to tell him I cared,” she said.

“I was grateful for everything he’d taught me – how to swim, and be strong.

“I was scared at first but the fear soon melted away as I set eyes on dad who was ravaged by cancer and frail.”

She continued: “I hated seeing him suffer and he was pleased to see me.

“He was confused about why I’d reported him to police though.

“But it didn’t upset me, or make me angry. I couldn’t judge him.

“I told him, ‘I love you’ and he said it back.

“After he died I was sad. He was still my dad.

“I was pleased I’d got to see him one last time. I had complete love and compassion for him.

“But finally I was at peace.”

January 2015

NURSERY boss has been convicted of raping a three-year-old in the centre where he worked

Mark Maclennan, 30, raped the three-year-old boy at an Inverness-shire nursery between August 2012 and May 2013.

The boy, who was three, was raped at a nursery in the Lochaber area.

He was also found guilty of sexually abusing a girl at drama rehearsals held in Stirling and Dunfermline and at her home in Dunblane between October 2007 and July 2010 when she was aged between 12 and 15 and he was acting as a chaperone for the theatre company.

Maclennan was cleared of a charge of sexually abusing a girl at the nursery when she was aged between four and five. The jury found that charge against him not proven.

He was also found guilty of having thousands of images of child abuse images on the computer he brought into the nursery to help the children with their IT skills and a further four on the laptop at his then home in Stirling.

The prosecutor added: “The indecent images and videos were on the computer and in the possession of the accused between February 22, 2009 and May 29, 2013.

“The vast majority were of girls aged about 12 to 16, but there were some indecent images of younger children under the age of 10.

A laptop computer was also seized from Maclennan’s then home at Alexandra Place, Stirling, and examined.

They found four indecent images of children under the age of 16 as well as search terms for child abuse images.

Judge John Morris QC told Maclennan: “Given what you have been convicted of a prison sentence is almost inevitable.”

Judge Morris remanded Maclennan in custody and deferred sentence until February 27 at the High court in Edinburgh for background reports.

The jury of nine women and six men took 90 minutes to reach their verdicts.

Afterwards judge Morris told therm: “This has been a very unpleasant case for all those involved.”

The inquiry into Maclennan was sparked after the three-year-old told his mother in graphic terms that he had been raped by him.

The boy’s mother said: “On May 23, 2013 he told me something while we were at home watching television.

“It was an alarming statement.”

Prosecutor Ms Harper said: “Was it about any person in particular,” and the mother replied: “Mark Maclennan.”

She was then asked what the nature of the remark was and said: “A sexual nature. I was making dinner and he just came out with it while he was watching television. I went over towards him and asked him to tell me again.”

The little boy also told his father what had happened and the police were contacted.

Under cross-examination by defence QC Donald Findlay the mother and father denied a suggestion that their son could have seen them having oral sex or could have watched pornography.

As a result of the boy’s remarks an investigation was launched and Maclennan was suspended from his job as nursery manages and letters were sent out to all parents.

Maclennan’s computer which was in the nursery was seized and thousands of indecent images of young girls under the age of 16 in erotic poses were discovered.

Advocate depute Kath Harper said: “It was apparent that Mark Maclennan has a sexual interest in children. He took advantage of their vulnerability.”

The court heard that as the result of the publicity generated by the inquiry into the nursery a woman came forward to say she had been abused by Maclennan while he was working as a chaperone at a drama school she attended.

The girl who is now a 19-year-old student that the alleged abuse began when Maclennan was fitting her for a costume for a panto at the MacRoberts Centre in Stirling.

She said he also abused her in her home after he gave her a lift and also during other rehearsals.

The court heard that the woman did not report any of the alleged incidents to the police until 2013, although she said she told her mother when she was 16.

The three-old’s parents and friends cried and hugged as the verdict was given.

Maclennan, who has been working in Bath as a carer, showed no emotion.

January 2015

Academy sex text teacher is struck off

A former Linlithgow Academy teacher has been struck off after he sent a photograph of his privates to a teenage girl.

Chemistry teacher Thomas John Docherty received a picture of his sixth year student in return, a hearing was told.

After he was suspended in January 2013, the 29-year-old arranged to meet the girl outside school, taking her for a drive and kissing her.

The hearing heard how Docherty also told the girl that he loved his partner.

At a hearing of the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) in Edinburgh last week, Docherty was told that he was unfit to teach and banned from the classroom.

The girl at the centre of the case was referred to as Pupil A and gave her evidence in private.

The hearing was told Pupil A had shown messages to an ex-pupil at the school.

Linda Forrest, the deputy head at Linlithgow Academy, said in a statement: “A photo of Mr Docherty’s genitals had been sent to Pupil A and she had shown a photo of herself to Mr Docherty.”

She added: “I didn’t know what to think. One text went into significant detail.

“It was sexually graphic – very well written – but highly inappropriate.”

Mr Docherty was suspended on January 21, 2013.

Miss Forrest said in her statement that at a meeting that day “Mr Docherty looked shocked and was quiet and said this was unbelievable”.

“I advised him to take his belongings and not contact pupils.”

Despite the warning, Miss Forrest said the suspended teacher arranged a meeting with the girl.

“On March 8 she met with Mr Docherty and went for a drive. He told her he loved his partner and then kissed her and said they could be together when things blew over.”

Mr Docherty faced a total of eight charges before the GTCS, all of which were found proven.

They included engaging in “inappropriate communications” with a pupil and sending “sexual remarks” and “pictures… in a state of undress” to the pupil.

He was accused of arranging to meet the pupil outside school and breaching his suspension by contacting her on three occasions, asking her to “delete all Facebook messages and text messages”.

Case presenter Gillian Sim said Pupil A gave evidence in a clear, straightforward manner, adding: “Her evidence had a level of detail that would be hard to make up.”

Mr Docherty did not attend the hearing and was not represented.

The hearing was told he had issued an earlier “blanket denial” of the charges.

The panel found all parts of the complaint against him proven.

John Fitzpatrick, panel chairman, said: “As a consequence of the findings in this case the panel has found the respondent unfit to teach.

“The respondent must be removed from GTCS teaching register.”

Mr Docherty’s Facebook page remained open to the public, even after he was suspended.

His posts included a popular picture of the Star War’s character Yoda with the words: “Stupid you are. Breed you should not.”

At the time of going to press Docherty had not returned our calls for a comment on the case.

January 2015

Paedophile groomed 13-year-old girl on Facebook and sexually abused her

A paedophile who groomed a 13-year-old girl on Facebook before having sex with her has been jailed for six years.

Police also found child abuse images on Timothy Edwards’ computer when they raided his home in Oldham.

Detectives said the 56-year-old pervert ‘actively pursued his victim because of her young age and sexually abused her’.

In February 2013, Edwards met his victim, who was 13 years old at the time, on the social media website.

He began chatting to her and asked her to send him explicit pictures and videos, but she refused, reports Manchester Evening News.

Edwards later persuaded his victim to meet with him and in early December 2013 he went to her house and had sex with her.

After his arrest in January 2014, police seized his computers and discovered 15 indecent images of children, a court heard.

Edwards, of Walk Mill, Dobcross, was found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with a child after a trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.

He was also found guilty of five counts of making and possessing indecent photographs, and one count of attempting to incite sexual activity with a child,

On January 29, he was sentenced to six years in prison and must also sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.

January 2015

‘Utterly disgusting’ Shetland pony pervert jailed for four years

A man with a ‘utterly disgusting perversion’ who sexually assaulted a Shetland pony called Sky has been jailed for four years.

Alan Barnfield, aged 44, was found not guilty of having sexual intercourse with the horse by a jury, but was convicted of outraging public decency.

Judge Peter Kelson QC said the verdict meant the jury were sure a sexual assault on the pony had taken place, but could not be certain he had intercourse with her.

He said the pony had been badly traumatised by Barnfield’s assault, and had several injuries indicating she had been sexually assaulted.

The incident happened in the early hours of August 8, 2012, at Oak Tree Stables on Rakes Lane, Loversall, Doncaster.

Sentencing Barnfield, of Hexthorpe Lane, Doncaster, Judge Kelson said he had a ‘utterly disgusting perversion’.

He added: “What you did to Sky changed her personality completely and caused her extreme pain. Sky was traumatised, she is a living creature who you caused great pain to.

“There is no credit to you whatsoever. You lied through your teeth to the jury.”

A victim impact statement was read out in court from Jodie Walton, the owner of Sky, the Shetland pony involved in the incident

Her statement said Sky’s behaviour changed after the assault and she would avoid the area where the attack happened, ‘shake and tremble’ and kick out at people.

Ms Walton eventually had to give Sky to a friend so the pony could ‘start afresh and get her confidence back’. She said giving Sky up had been ‘devastating’, especially for her young son.

Judge Kelson said: “The outrage to public decency is enormous.”

January 2015

Pervert child sex groomer planned to travel 300 miles to meet his ‘schoolgirl bride’ – but was caught out in police sting

A pervert’s twisted bid to travel 300 miles to find a schoolgirl bride was foiled by an undercover police sting.

Eddie Piwko, 51, prowled internet chat rooms where he urged vulnerable girls as young as 14 to run away from home and ‘be my wife’.

Even though Piwko gave them his real age and photo, a series of girls engaged in explicit chat and swapped pictures with the loner before he was snared by an undercover operation launched 300 miles from his home in Denton, Tameside.

He now faces sentence after admitting four charges of attempting to arrange an act which would involve the commission of a child sex offence.

In an operation designed to root out online sex predators, officers in Devon and Cornwall set up a fake identity called ‘Jasmine’. Piwko took the bait, spending months grooming the girl online with promises of trips to Alton Towers and romantic nights in with ‘bubble baths and rose petals on the bed’.

Piwko remained convinced his prey was real after police set up a phone line for late night chats with him.

By the time they raided his home he thought the girl was coming to live with him and had talked of hiring a car for the abduction.

In chilling entries from the chat logs, Piwko said to Jasmine: “Once you are here you will hardly be able to go out until you are 16 – police all over the UK will be looking for you.”

“So we will have to hide?”, replied Jasmine.

“In a way hun. You could dye your hair and that hun. Don’t leave the laptop behind because the police could get all the info – do you think you will be here by the end of March?”

In a later phone conversation, Piwko said: “I’d love you to be my wife.”

Prosecutor Henry Blackshaw revealed that searches of Piwko’s computers revealed he had groomed three other girls online over the course of a year, telling one 15-year-old: “When you’ve left school you could come off the pill.”

Another victim was anorexic and ‘psychologically disturbed’ when Piwko met her online, Mr Blackshaw said.

Piwko told her: “Will you try and eat for me? If you don’t eat you will not have the strength to make love.”

Piwko was arrested in August 2013, and told officers he had been trying to ‘help and comfort’ teens.

He will be sentenced by Judge David Hernandez on Tuesday.

January 2015

Paedophile with history of child sexual offences caught by undercover team ‘Dark Justice’ in internet sting

A paedophile with a history of child sexual offences dating back to the 1990’s has been caught by undercover team ‘Dark Justice’ in an internet sting

Roger Mark Anthony Lee, 44, travelled over 300 miles to Newcastle from his home in Basingstoke to meet what he thought was a 14 year old female child following on-line sexual grooming

But when confronted and questioned by the team, Roger Lee immediately fled the scene after he realised he had been caught

January 2015

Leeds pervert had almost 250,000 child abuse images – Jailed 2 years

A PERVERT who had almost a quarter of a million child sex abuse images on computers at his home in Leeds has been sent to prison.

James Thrower, 41, was arrested after exchanging sexual fantasies with an undercover police officers in a chat room.

Officers discovered 245,805 illegal images after seizing computer equipment and phones from his home on Primley Park Lane, Alwoodley, in October 2013. Leeds Crown Court heard Thrower’s offending came to light after he was caught in a covert operation led by Kent Police.

Thrower sent sexual images of children to an undercover officer before discussing child abuse.

Some of the images which were examined by officers were found to be among the most serious and featured adults having sex with children.

The court heard Thrower had been previously been cautioned, in 2004, for possessing abusive images of children.

Thrower pleaded guilty to 21 offences of possession of indecent images of children. Catherine Silverton, mitigating, said Thrower was ashamed of what he had done and wanted to receive treatment to prevent him from re-offending.

Thrower was jailed for two years.

Judge Guy Kearl, QC, said: “It is your sort of behaviour that leads to the exploitation of children in this way.

“If there was no market then there would be no trade and fewer child victims.”

Thrower was also ordered to go on the sex offenders register.

January 2015

School volunteer jailed for child sex abuse

He volunteered to work at a Huddersfield school and dreamed of being a teacher.

But pervert James Sweeting is now behind bars after a court heard of his sex crimes against young girls.

He has been jailed for a total of four and a half years.

Sweeting touched a 15-year-old girl indecently when he got her alone on one occasion.

Leeds Crown Court heard he also requested another older girl to send pictures to him of her in her underwear and said he wanted to kiss her and told her to wear sexy underwear for school.

Sweeting, who had hopes of being a teacher, also exchanged explicit images with another girl in America although he knew she was only 13 and performed a sexual act so she could watch him on screen.

Sweeting, 23 of Bedale Drive, Skelmanthorpe, admitted the sexual assault, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

He was ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely and barred from working with children.

Sentencing him Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said it was a tragedy to see a man of his intelligence and calibre in the dock on such offences. “You have thrown away forever any prospect of teaching.”

He accepted Sweeting had not volunteered at the school with a view to offending against pupils but he had then abused the great trust placed in him.

There was an element of grooming in the cases involving the 17 year old girl and the 13 year old as he developed his contact with them on the internet.

While the girl involved in the assault had suffered psychologically as a result of what he had done to her.

“They are in no way to blame, the blame lies wholly at your door.”

Ian Brook prosecuting said Sweeting had sat next to the girl who he assaulted at school and initially moved his hand up and down her knee over her trousers. He put her hand on his trousers but she pulled it away.

She did not know what to do but later he was alone with her and this time kissed her and put his hand inside her trousers but removed it when somebody walked by.

When arrested and suspended from the school he denied the offences saying he was a Christian and did not believe in sex before marriage. He said he had swapped photographs with women on the internet but they were adults.

Michael Brady representing Sweeting said he was a sexually inexperienced young man who had found himself in a situation where he was not much older than the girls at the school in a voluntary role “it was easy for lines to become blurred.”

January 2015

Luton one-legged pensioner jailed for 18 years for raping 7-year-old girl

A ONE-LEGGED pensioner from Luton was jailed for 18 years today (January 30) for sex crimes going back to the 1970s.

Edward McCulloch, 76, of Spandow Court, Elizabeth Street, was found guilty after a trial of four counts of raping a girl when she was aged 7 and 8.

He was also convicted of two charges of indecently assault another girl, aged between 3 and 7.

A jury found him guilty of two charges of rape, two of buggery and two of indecent assault on a woman.

He had pleaded guilty to raping and indecently assaulting another victim.

At his trial last month, McCulloch, who lost his right leg in 1943, told the jury at Luton Crown Court the offences had not happened.

Judge Barbara Mensah sentenced him to a total of 18 years.

January 2015

Child rapist jailed for series of shocking sex attacks on two young girls that took place over a period of three years

A twisted child rapist who forced young girls to watch porn and threatened one that he would ‘take her to a place where other men were’ has been jailed.

Vile Ashley Wright abused the girls, both under the age of 13, in a series of shocking sex attacks that took place over a period of three years.

The sex beast gained the girls trust and then attacked them in places like his car and van.

Wright, 29, formerly of New Ash Green in Kent, was jailed today for 25 years after he pleaded guilty to 21 series sex offences.

Maidstone Crown Court heard how on one occasion he threatened one of his victims that if she didn’t do as she was told he would ‘take her to a place where there were lots of men’.

The vile pervert also forced his victims to watch pornography on his laptop and mobile phone.

He was initially arrested by Kent Police in the Ilford area on 7 March 2014 and later pleaded guilty at court to 21 separate counts.

They included 12 counts of rape of a child aged under 13; three counts of sexual assault of a child aged under 13; two counts of causing or enticing a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity; one count of causing child pornography; and three counts of possessing indecent images of children.

January 2015

Doncaster child rapist who assaulted the person who reported his crimes has been found guilty

Alan Broughton, 35, of Highfield Crescent, Thorne, was found guilty of two counts of rape of a female child under 13, conspiracy to commit wounding and wounding with intent to commit grievous bodily harm.

Broughton appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on trial for the four offences which occurred last year, alongside a 29-year-old woman who was also on trial for conspiracy to commit wounding.

She was also found guilty of the offence and both will be sentenced on Thursday, 26 February.

The rapes occurred some time between November 2012 and March 2014 at a property in Doncaster.

A third party reported Broughton’s crimes to police and was attacked by him and two other men on the evening of 6 April 2014 on Great North Road in Woodlands.

He sustained a fractured cheekbone and broken nose together with cuts and bruises as a result of the assault, which the woman conspired with Broughton on prior to the attack.

They were both convicted with Broughton remanded to custody and the woman given conditional bail until they are due back at Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing.

DC Nichole Russell investigating said: “Broughton committed a horrendous and despicable crime against an innocent and vulnerable child, then tried to intimidate the person who reported his vile actions by assaulting him so viciously, he fractured his cheekbone and broke his nose.

“The woman chose to be complicit to his crime, accepting his lies and allowing an innocent man who was doing the right thing reporting the crime to police, to be violently attacked at Broughton’s hands.

“I want to praise the young girl, who has displayed so much courage and bravery throughout the investigation, and also the man who despite the interference from the pair, proceeded to give crucial evidence in court.

“Broughton has not spared a single thought for those who have suffered, making them endure the harrowing ordeal of a trial and having to relive their experiences.

“I am very pleased with the verdict returned and I would always encourage any victims of sexual offences to please report it so that we can bring the offenders before the courts.”

January 2015

Pensioner jailed for sexual assault on six year old boy in McDonald’s bathroom

A pensioner who sexually assaulted a six-year-old boy in a branch of McDonald’s has been jailed.

January 2015

Stinson Hunter confronts pervert after snaring him by posing as a 14-year-old girl

This is the dramatic moment a self-styled ‘paedophile hunter’ snared a pervert by posing as a 14-year-old girl.

James Turner, 46, was caught after writing sick messages to the youngster – who was actually Stinson Hunter pretending to be a schoolgirl – begging her for sex.

Footage of the moment Turner was caught was given to West Mercia Police and he was arrested.

Turner, the managing director of a health supplement firm, now faces jail after he admitted attempting to incite a girl of 14 to engage in sexual activity at Worcester Crown Court.

Last year, Hunter featured in a controversial documentary which revealed how he trawled the internet posing as underage boys and girls in order to catch paedophiles.

In his latest sting he pretended to be young girl who caught the attention of Turner.

The court heard Turner never questioned the girl’s age, even when she made it clear she was sexually inexperienced and told him ‘I’m 14 so I’m guessing that will put you off’.

Shockingly, Turner continued to contact the girl and even pestered her to send him ‘sexy’ photographs of herself before arranging to meet for ‘drink and lots of fun’.

In other messages, Turner, of Broomhall, Worcester, promised to be ‘gentle’ with her and talked about using contraception.

Last September, Hunter arranged to meet Turner at a hotel in Nuneaton, Warwickshire but when Turner arrived he was confronted by the self-styled ‘paedophile hunter’.

Turner was bailed and ordered to return to court for sentencing on February 27. 

After Turner appeared at court on Wednesday January 28, Hunter, who has caught 18 paedophiles in the past two years, said: ‘This guy confirms and proves that what I’m doing is right.

‘If people are talking about me then they’re talking about an issue.

‘[Turner] is a prime example of a guy that I would suggest is from a nice background.

‘That’s an example of who these people are, it’s not just your stereotypical greasy, dirty paedophile.

‘His attitude was disgusting – at one point he laughed.

‘I just want the whole world to realise that this is an issue and the Government are ignoring it.

‘It’s not to get people locked up, it’s to get people talking, to raise awareness and hopefully get people to look at a serious issue.

‘I want to get into schools, talk to parents and kids and work with them about online safety.

‘I want to reach both parents and kids and hopefully change something.’ 

Hunter, who is based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, works with his team to entrap internet perverts – including soldiers, teachers and solicitors. They track down suspects through the internet and dating apps.    

The vigilantes usually pose as boys or girls in their early teens. Once they are sent explicit messages and videos by the men, the team lure them to meet up.

There, they are filmed with handheld cameras and mobile phones and told to explain themselves. The messages and footage are then handed to police. 

January 2015

Belfast man is jailed for indecent assaults on two young girls

A Belfast man found guilty of indecently assaulting two young girls more than 30 years ago has been jailed for two years.

John Haveron, 65, from Enfield Street, was found guilty of four counts of indecent assault against two children.

The abuse occurred on dates spanning November 1975 to January 1982.

Belfast Crown Court court heard that both of the victims were under the age of seven.

When Haveron was interviewed about the incidents, he denied anything sexual had occurred.

However, he was sent to trial and was subsequently convicted on four charges.

A prosecutor said that both victims were young children at the time, while Haveron was aged between 26 and 33.

A defence barrister said that in the intervening time, there had been no further allegations made against his client.

He said the offences were “not at the high end of sexual assault”.

The court was told that since the case against Haveron came to court, his home had been ransacked, the windows of the property had been smashed and he had been threatened.

The defence lawyer also said his client had been advised on social media that “people are waiting for him in prison”.

The judge asked the prison staff in court to warn the relevant authorities of the threat.

He handed Haveron a four year sentence, half of which will be spent in custody, with the remaining two years spent on supervised licence upon his release.

January 2015

Surbiton man jailed for sexual abuse against two girls aged between 10 and 15 years old

A man who sexually assaulted two girls under the age of 15 in the 1980s has been jailed for 11 years.

David Whitfield, 64, was found guilty of a string of sex offences on two girls between 1981 and 1985, after a trial at Kingston Crown Court.

His crimes came to light after a victim contacted police in May 2013 to say she had been indecently assaulted in the early 1980s and an investigation led officers to find a second victim.

Both women said Whitfield, of Grand Avenue, Surbiton, was the man who abused them and he was arrested on May 31, 2013.

Whitfield repeatedly denied the attacks and was charged on January 17, 2014.

At Kingston Crown Court on Friday, January 30, he was handed the following sentences:

Victim one

• 10 years each for two counts of rape on a child aged under 15 years old

• Six years each for two counts of attempted rape on a child aged under 15 years old

• 18 months for one count of indecency with a child

• Two years for one count of indecent assault on a child aged between 10 and 15 years old

• 18 months for one count of indecent assault on a child aged between 10 and 15 years old

Whitfield will serve the sentences concurrently, meaning he will spend 10 years in prison for the offences against the first victim.

Victim two

• One year each for three counts of indecent assault on a child aged between 10 and 15 years old

He will serve the three one-year sentences concurrently, but consecutive to the sentences for the first victim – a total of 11 years behind bars.

Whitfield was also given a sexual offenders prevention order and placed on the sex offenders register for life.

December 2014

Dangerous Durham child rapist who targeted women online

They thought he was the man of their dreams but soon found to their cost he is a dangerous and violent sex beast.

Convicted child rapist Scott Burrell wormed his way into the lives of a series of unsuspecting women, many of whom he contacted online.

But his true colours soon shone through and Burrell ended up raping one of them after breaking her ribs.

Another victim, a mum with a young daughter, had no idea Burrell was banned from being near youngsters and even trusted him to play with her daughter and her friend.

After finding out about his sordid past, the shocked woman then discovered she was carrying his baby, which is due next year.

Now the 26-year-old pervert has been branded dangerous by a judge as he was jailed for eight years and given an extended licence until 2027.

The woman raped by Burrell said in a statement to Newcastle Crown Court: “When I met him I had no reason to mistrust him but he attacked and raped me in my home when I thought he was a nice, genuine person.

“The physical injuries are bad enough but the emotional scars will be a lot more difficult to deal with.

“I don’t think I will ever be able to have any trust in another man.

“It makes me feel physically sick to the stomach. The man completely turned my life upside down and he lied and deceived me.”

The court heard Burrell, then 17, was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl in 2007 and was given a sexual offences prevention (SOPO) order banning him from being near youngsters.

But in June this year he contacted the first victim, a young single mum, on the internet and they began a relationship.

Gavin Doig, prosecuting, said: “She became pregnant and that baby is due next year.

“She is concerned that she continues to bear the defendant’s child and is extremely worried he may seek to find her after his release.

“The defendant spent time at (the woman’s) home, including playing with her daughter and her daughter’s friend of the same age, in breach of the SOPO.”

The woman discovered Burrell was a sex offender in August and went to the police. He tried to intimidate her into withdrawing her statement, saying: “I hope the baby dies and you want to watch (her daughter) when she’s playing out, somebody will be there to take her.”

The sick bully then sent the woman a picture of her daughter in a Princess dress and threatened to show it to people who might want to harm her.

Burrell pleaded guilty to breaching the SOPO and intimidation.

On August 25 Burrell went to the home of another woman and let himself into her home uninvited.

He asked her for a kiss and she refused so he lifted her up by her bottom, kissed her neck then later sent her suggestive texts. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault.

By early September Burrell was speaking online to the woman he would end up raping and within two days of being in contact, he had arranged to meet her.

They began seeing each other and were together on September 16 and all seemed well until he took a call from his mother and his mood suddenly changed.

Burrell subjected the woman to a violent attack, fracturing her rib and leaving her with bruising to her chest, jaw, arms and thigh.

Some time later, the twisted brute, himself slightly injured after the woman fought back, then demanded sex from her.

Despite her persistent refusals, he pinned her down on the bed and raped her. He pleaded guilt to rape and assault.

A day later Burrell met up with another woman he had been in touch with on Facebook.

He ended up going to her home, where her two young children were, in breach of the SOPO.

The woman, who had no idea of his past, even trusted him to care for her son alone before finding out he was a sex offender. She contacted police and he was arrested the next day.

The woman said: “I only found out when he left that he was wanted by the police for rape and other offences.

“I feel sick at the thought of him being near my children, I’m angry and upset.

“The thought of him hurting my children or me haunts me. He completely deceived me into thinking he was a normal, good genuine person.

“I will find it hard to trust another man again.”

Burrell pleaded guilty to breaching the SOPO.

Mr Doig said: “The number of complainants is of great concern to the Crown as is the systematic nature of the offending, where he has moved from woman to woman.

“The Crown are extremely concerned he might present a risk to women and children in the future.”

He also breached the SOPO twice in 2008 and in 2009, when he was locked up for 18 months. He breached it again in 2010 and was jailed for 16 months and was sent to prison in 2012 for failing to adhere to sex offender register requirements.

Burrell, of King Court, Chester-le-Street, was given an extended sentence of 13 years, made of up eight years in prison and an extended licence period when he is released.

He was also given a restraining order to keep him away from the pregnant victim and he must sign the sex offender register indefinitely and the SOPO remains in place.

Julie Clemitson, defending, said: “He has spent an alarming proportion of his young life in custody.

“The prospects of him having a proper relationship are very slight. He now sees the reality of his future and it is bleak.

“There is obviously a complication here with the unborn child.”

October 2007

‘Very dangerous paedophile’ locked up

A DANGEROUS paedophile from Rainworth, who used four young boys to make horrifying film clips, has been jailed indefinitely to protect the public.

Simon Walker (38), of Southwell Road West, will have to serve at least five years before he can be considered for parole.

Police searched his home in January and found more than 1,300 child porn images downloaded on his computer and CDs showing film of the four boys, aged between seven and 12, Nottingham Crown Court was told.

One of the most disturbing clips showed Walker with his hands around a 12-year-old’s throat strangling him, said Steven Coupland, prosecuting on Friday.

The boy turned blue around the lips and passed out.

Walker later said to the police: “I wanted to see his eyes roll back but they didn’t…I thought he had gone, I was so frightened and ashamed.”

Another sinister clip showed the same boy tied to a chair with masking tape, blindfolded and gagged.

Walker seemed keen to get the boys to pretend they were dead or dying.

Knives

For seven or eight years he had watched adult ‘snuff’ material and downloaded a toolbox which allowed him to super impose knives and other weapons, along with body parts.

One image showed the 12-year-old with a knife plunged into his stomach with the intestines coming out said Mr Coupland.

The boys had been so corrupted that the 12-year-old described Walker as his ‘best friend’ and was upset that he was in trouble.

Walker told the police he had come out of hospital a ‘raving lunatic’ after an incident when he was aged only two or three. He had gone in for a hernia operation, but a man had entered his room and said he loved him but was going to kill him.

Mr Coupland said for the past 33 years Walker had been obsessed with a sexual fantasy.

Walker, who had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of indecent assault on children under 13 and 17 of making indecent images.

His barrister Shaun Smith said Walker’s parents had confirmed that something went seriously wrong after he had been in hospital.

Judge Dudley Bennett told Walker: “In my view you are a very dangerous paedophile and I underline very. If you had not been caught when you were, you may have killed someone.”

January 2015

Dublin man who sent girl (13) menacing texts and pictures of his penis is jailed

A man who sent photographs of his penis to a 13-year-old girl and asked her for sex has walked free from court with an 18 month suspended sentence

Terence Weldredge (43) admitted carrying out the harassment, sexual exploitation and sending of menacing messages to the girl.

Over a two day period he attempted to contact her 273 times.

Weldredge of Castlekevin Road, Coolock pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the three offences which occurred between September 2011 and January 2012.

The girl said in a victim impact report that Weldredge harassed her “24/7” and that she couldn’t sleep or concentrate at school because of him. She said she felt depressed and alone and was teased by her friends about the messages

She described how she attempted to take her life but was saved when her brother walked in and found her

Judge Mary Ellen Ring suspended the last 18 months of a three year jail sentence on condition that Weldredge continue to attend psychotherapy or other services as directed by the Probation Services.

The court heard Weldredge also tried to take his life after being caught and that he suffers from mental health difficulties brought about by drug abuse. His defence counsel submitted that he has a low level of intelligence and is very remorseful about the harassment.

Garda Katie Flood told prosecuting counsel Cathleen Noctor BL that the child got a text from Weldredge in September 2011.

He said he had found her number written on a bus and that he was 15-years-old. The two began texting and she sent him a full clothed picture of herself at his request.

He began to ask her for phone sex and to send her pictures of his penis. He also sent her a photo of a man in a balaclava with a gun.

He told her he wanted to have sex with her and that he would buy her alcohol. He sent her a picture of a teddy bear and said “I love you” before asking her to “have his baby”. He was aware she was 13 at this time.

In January 2013, he sent her a picture of his face and the girl could see that he wasn’t a teenager.

She called him a liar and told him to stop texting her. Over the following two days he called or texted her 272 times. The contact only stopped when she went to gardaí and they took her phone.

Weldredge was arrested and made some admissions. However he said he believed the girl was around 20 and he couldn’t remember what he said to her because he was taking ecstasy at the time.

“I feel like I made a prick of myself, like a paedophile,” he told gardaí.

Defence counsel Una Ní Raifeartaigh SC said her client suffered institutional abuse when he was growing up and that this has affected him throughout his life. She said his drug and alcohol abuse was a consequence of this. She said he has limited intellectual and social capacity.

In suspending the 18 months Judge Ring noted the Weldredge’s co-operation with the Probation Services and his efforts to deal with his substance abuse issues.