April 2015

Teen guilty of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse images of one-year-old girls

A TEENAGER who downloaded abusive images of girls as young as 12 months is behind bars tonight (Friday, July 17).

Eighteen-year-old Nathan Foster was sentenced to two years and three months in custody after pleading guilty to possessing and distributing images of child abuse.

Durham Crown Court heard although Foster, of Seaton Crescent, Seaham, east Durham, had no previous criminal convictions, he was a disturbed young man and his offending had taken place over a two-year period.

Sentencing him, Judge Penny Moreland said he had downloaded and distributed indecent images of children and extreme pornography and was being sentenced for content found on four devices.

The police found 846 indecent images, including 163 still photographs classified as being of category A, the most serious, and 20 movies from that same category.

Foster’s whole collection featured girls aged 14 and under, including some as young as 12 months.

Judge Moreland said Foster’s offending had been “sophisticated”, as he had tried to obscure the address of his Internet Service Provider (ISP) to prevent the authorities tracing him.

He had used specific terms on internet search engines and downloaded images of “extremely” young children, some of whom were “clearly in distress”, the judge said.

A Probation Service report concluded Foster was at a high risk of further such offending.

Due to his young age, Foster will serve his 27-month sentence in a Young Offenders’ Institution.

He will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order and be on the sex offenders’ register, both for ten years.

January 2012

Sex attacker sees sentence appeal rejected

A sex attacker who was jailed after a drunken assault on a little girl has lost his appeal against his eight-year prison sentence.

Leon Thomas Hanley, aged 36, was locked up at Sheffield Crown Court last July after admitting three attacks on the girl, who was under the age of 13.

He appealed against his sentence at London’s Court of Appeal, but watched via a video link from prison as three senior judges rejected his complaints.

Lord Justice Pill said Hanley, of Park Road, Grimethorpe, Barnsley, claimed to have no memory at all of what he did, but accepted he must be guilty.

Hanley’s legal team argued the eight-year sentence was ‘manifestly excessive’. But, rejecting the appeal, Lord Justice Pill said the sentence was ‘severe’ but not excessive.

April 2015

Staffordshire man with child sex images spared jail

A family man who downloaded indecent images of children from the internet has been spared a prison sentence.

Police found the images on a laptop, mobile phone and an internet tablet following a raid on the Staffordshire home of Adrian Jordan, a court heard.

A total of 154 illegal images were found, including 16 in the most serious category A, said Miss Fiona Cortese, prosecuting at Stafford Crown Court.

A further 18 were in category B and 120 in category C, the least serious.

Jordan told officers he had been searching the internet using terms such as ‘teens’ and ‘Lolita’ as ‘an escape from everyday life’ and had no sexual interest in children. He said he was ashamed and embarrassed.

Jordan, aged 44, of Franklin Drive, Burntwood, who admitted three charges of making indecent images of children and three of possessing indecent images, was given a three-year community order and must undergo a sex offender treatment programme. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for five years and to pay £535 costs.

Judge John Wait told him: “Those who abuse children for profit depend on ensnaring those who show an interest in to paying subscriptions.

“Every person who goes on to their websites is positively encouraging the abuse and torture of children all over the world by men of the worst possible sort.

“You have lost your good name, you have come close to losing your family. Fortunately they support you. You have done what you can since being caught, by being frank and seeking help. You present a low risk of re-offending.”

Mr Darron Whitehead, defending, said Jordan had suffered a breakdown since his arrest and had sought help from his GP.

April 2015

Accrington man admits child abuse images offences

AN ACCRINGTON man awaits a sentence after admitting child abuse images offences at Burnley Crown Court.

Mark Pearce, 46, of Garbett Street, pleaded guilty to nine offences of making indecent images and five charges of possessing indecent images.

He also admitted taking indecent photos and possessing of extreme pornography.

Judge Andrew Woolman remanded Pearce on bail.

April 2015

Pensioner jailed for child sex offences

A PENSIONER has been jailed for four years for sexually touching a teenage girl.

Seventy-eight-year-old Charles Maconochie, a man with no previous criminal convictions on his record, pleaded guilty to nine charges of sexual offences against a single girl under the age of 16.

The offences cover sexual touching and inciting the girl to engage in sexual activity.

Shaun Dodds, appearing for the prosecution at Durham Crown Court today (Friday, April 17), said a course of events had led to the girl’s parents confronting her about the issue, at which point she broke down and admitted she had been a victim of abuse.

Her parents then called the police. Maconochie was arrested but made no reply during a police interview.

The offending took place in 2012.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, the girl’s mother said the offending had affected her daughter in many ways, including causing problems with her schooling.

She also struggled to sleep, had lost confidence, developed eating problems and attempted to harm herself, the court heard.

The court heard Maconochie, now of Hartlepool, was a lonely man, wished to express his remorse for the pain he had caused and the thought of his actions made him feel sick.

Sentencing the pensioner, Judge Penny Moreland told Maconochie his actions had had a devastating impact on the girl’s family and would damage the girl herself for the rest of her life.

Maconochie was sentence to a total of four years in prison. He will be on the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life and was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

April 2015

IRVINE pervert who sent lewd messages to underage girls has narrowly avoided a jail sentence

Jamie Cunningham, of Maxwell Green, sent a string of Facebook messages to two girls, aged 11 and 12 respectively, in November last year.

On various occasions between November 7 and November 9, the 23-year-old admitted sending messages of an inappropriate and sexual nature to the 11-year-old girl.

Cunningham also admitted sending similar messages to the 12-year-old girl on November 7.

Cunningham previously pled guilty to the offences at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court before the production of the Criminal Justice Social Work report.

After listening carefully to the mitigation from defence solicitor Gillian Swanney and considering the contents of the report, presiding Sheriff Brian Murphy believed he could deal with Cunningham in a manner just short of custody.

He said: “Given the nature of these offences, in particular charges two and three, and the information within the Criminal Justice Social Work report, it seems there is a real public risk.

“I have to put in place what I can in terms of restrictions.”

Cunningham was placed on a Community Payback Order with three years supervision as a direct alternative to custody.

He was placed on the Sex Offender’s Register for the same period of his supervision and must not directly or indirectly contact any child under 16 unless supervised by someone over 21.

Cunningham must not possess more than one mobile phone and computer and cannot own or possess any device without providing the device’s serial number to the police.

If the police wish, monitoring software may also be installed in the device.

Cunningham must seek written permission from the police to use the internet and cannot use a phone number or email address without supplying police with the number and address.

In addition, Cunningham cannot install any encryption or third-party applications without the approval of the police.

April 2015

Man spared jail for abuse images of children

A MAN who was found to have images of child abuse and extreme pornography involving animals on his personal computer has been spared an immediate prison sentence.

Darren Parker, who had no previous criminal record, was arrested after he was linked to another man detained in the Nottingham area on suspicion of similar offences.

Police examining the 40-year-old’s laptop computer found numerous indecent images, including five classified as being of the most serious category of child abuse, known as category A, and others from category B

There was also a “large number” of extreme images of pornographic content involving animals – possession of which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison, Durham Crown Court heard today (Friday, April 17).

Prosecutor Shaun Dodds said police were also alerted to an online conversation conducted via Skype during which Parker said to another man: “Get me girls, the younger the better.”

Although no charges arose from that conversation, Judge Penny Moreland said it was a “cause for some concern”.

Parker, of Dunelm Way, Leadgate, Consett, pleaded guilty to charges of possessing indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornographic images.

The court heard he was an intelligent man, had expressed shame and remorse for his actions and understood the implications of his type of offending.

He admitted the offences at his first appearance at crown court.

Following an assessment, the Probation Service concluded Parker was at a low risk of reoffending.

Judge Moreland made reference to some background to the case and said she was aware Parker had borne a personal cost for his offending, but declined to air details of either in open court.

She sentenced him to eight months in prison for the child abuse images and two months in prison to run concurrently for the other extreme images.

But she suspended the jail term for two years, meaning Parker walked free from court.

He will be subject to Probation Service supervision for a period of 18 months and must complete 100 hours of unpaid work for the benefit of society.

Parker was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for a period of ten years, which bans him from having any contact with a child aged under 16 without the consent of the child’s parent or guardian and working with children or vulnerable adults.

Parker will also be on the sex offenders’ register for ten years.

The offensive content will be destroyed, Judge Moreland ordered.

April 2015

Stockport man admits to more than 25,000 indecent images of children

A man who built up a sickening library of tens of thousands of indecent images of children over six years has been jailed.

More than half a million images were discovered in total on computers at the Stockport home of Alan Burdett.

There were so many that it was impossible for police to view every single one, but Burdett pleaded guilty to charges relating to 26,634 of them.

It is one of the largest ever seizures of indecent images made by Greater Manchester Police and a judge who jailed Burdett for eight months said he’d never seen as many in a single case before.

Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court was told that 876 of the 26,634 were classed by police to be in the most serious category of images. There were also 430 extreme pornographic images.

Burdett, of Chiltern Drive, Woodsmoor, pleaded guilty to seven counts of making indecent images of children and two counts of possessing extreme pornographic images.

Brian Berlyne, prosecuting, said he had amassed the collection over six years – from February 2008 to July last year – and the images showed the abuse of children aged between four and 14.

“All were downloaded and stored on multiple hard drives.

Mr Berlyne said police raided Burdett’s home and seized his computer equipment. He was arrested immediately. The court heard he later told officers that he’d downloaded the images for himself and hadn’t shared any of them.

Mr Berlyne added: “The computer analysis revealed search items had been used. The images were downloaded over six years and there was also moving images. He accepted that he had a serious problem and expressed remorse.”

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar, who viewed a selection of the images, told Burdett: “I have come across people like yourself before who have interest in such material, but I have never come across anyone who has possessed such a vast quantity of material of this nature.

“The quantity was such that not all of them could be examined. Those that were examined are the ones relied upon.”

The judge added that he ‘couldn’t avoid’ a sentence of immediate imprisonment.

Burdett, who had no previous convictions, was subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to restrict his future computer use. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

April 2006

Man jailed for sex attack on girl

A LIVERPOOL man has been jailed for indecently assaulting a schoolgirl.

Martin Jones, 48, attacked the 12-year-old last August, Liverpool crown court heard.

Jones, formerly of Beresford Road, Toxteth, was convicted by a jury of three charges of sexual assault last August 29.

Andrew Downie, defending, told the court Jones still denies the offences.

He said Jones had a problem with alcohol and became a different person when he drank.

Jailing Jones for two and a half years, Judge David Swift also ordered him to sign the sex offenders’ register and banned him from working with children.

Judge Swift told him: “It was without doubt an alarming and disturbing experience for your victim.”

January 1997

Shamed teacher sent sex notes to boy pupil, 11

A teacher sent a string of steamy sex notes to a boy of 11 in her class.

Angela Quinn, 26, was caught just two weeks before her wedding.

She brazenly passed the messages to the youngster in front of other pupils and teachers.

One of the notes said: “Do you still want it on Thursday? It will be sexy. I can’t wait. I want to do it for hours.”

And yesterday, Quinn wept as she was jailed for six months at Warrington Crown Court.

Judge Elgan Edwards branded the notes “disgusting and evil” and said she had shamed an honourable profession.

The court heard a message was found in the boy’s trouser pocket, in his pencil case and another in the primary school classroom.

Robert Jones, prosecuting, said Quinn had been in charge of a class of nearly 30 pupils at the school for two years.

The boy claimed 11 notes were written, but Quinn said it was only three or four.

No attempt had been made to conceal the messages which indicated they were “boyfriend and girlfriend” and had meetings in the town.

The court heard there were graphic references to sexual acts – although nothing underhand had been done – and it was clear Quinn was “egging on” the boy.

But it was also clear the boy was confused about how he should respond.

The increasing frequency of the messages alerted another teacher to what was going on.

And after a note was uncovered the head teacher called in police.

Quinn, of Widnes, Cheshire, admitted inciting the boy to commit an act of gross indecency.

Quinn’s husband Martin angrily screamed: “Justice?” and sobbed as his wife was led away.

The boy’s father said he was “delighted” with the prison sentence.

April 2004

Pervert Ex-Scout Chief Caged for 3 1 /2 Years

A FORMER scout master who subjected a schoolboy to 18 months of sexual abuse has been caged for three and-a-half years 

Pervert Martin O’Neill was told by Birmingham Crown Court Judge Alan Taylor that the family of his 10-year-old victim had trusted him but ‘you abused that trust appallingly’.

Evil O’Neill, who admitted six charges of indecent assault, was also banned from ever working with children and told to keep police informed of his address for the rest of his life.

The court how O’Neill, 39, had escaped a jail term despite admitting abusing a boy of 14 eight years ago

January 2001

School’s cook is jailed for abusing boys

A MAN who raped two young boys at a Roman Catholic-run List D school where he worked as the head cook was jailed yesterday for three-and-a-half years.

Bill Franks, 68, showed no emotion as the jury unanimously found him guilty after just 90 minutes.

The trial of Franks heard the victims describe St Mary’s School as a brutal place where unqualified staff treated the boys like dogs.

Lord Bonomy, said that Franks would have been jailed for five years if it had not had failing health.

But the judge said there was no alternative to a jail sentence because of the continuing effect on Franks’s victims.

After a three-day trial Franks, of Auchinairn Road, Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, was convicted of male raping and molesting two boys aged from 13-15 at St Mary’s School, Bishopbriggs, more than 21 years ago.

April 2015

Pervert jailed for sexual offences against schoolgirl

A man has been jailed for eight years after being convicted of sexual offences against an under-age girl in Barnsley.

Philip Wright (pictured), 37, of South Drive, Bolton-upon-Dearne was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday 15 April.

He was convicted in March of seven counts of sexual activity with a child under 16 following a five-day trial.

Wright got in touch with the victim, from the Bolton-upon-Dearne area of Barnsley, via Facebook in April 2014 when she was 15-years-old.

He began sending her sexually explicit messages and persuaded her to meet up with him.

Wright then pressured her to have sex with him. They met up on a number of occasions over the next few months.

Police were contacted in September 2014 after the victim’s mum received a phone bill for £500. When she checked her daughter’s phone she found sexually explicit messages from Wright on Facebook.

Wright was arrested and initially charged with two counts of sexual activity with a child.

Investigating Officer Detective Constable Helen Swift said: “Wright is a cold and calculated individual.

“He preyed on a young girl who was vulnerable due to her age and took advantage of her.

“By putting her through the traumatic process of reliving what happened in court he has caused her further distress and anxiety.

“I want to praise the courage of the victim who has been incredibly strong throughout the investigation and the trial, as well as her family who have remained dignified throughout.”

Wright was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

October 2014

Rotherham man suffering from dementia jailed for sex assault on young girl

A man suffering with early onset dementia has been jailed after he was caught in bed with a young girl.

Andrew Davidson, aged 58, was struggling to cope with the collapse of his marriage and spiralling debts when he assaulted his victim, a court was told.

He has now been locked up for 28 months after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a child – even though he claimed he could not remember the offence.

Sheffield Crown Court heard the attack happened at his home on Dolcliffe Close, Mexborough, last August and when arrested Davidson initially denied the offence.

But on the day he was due to stand trial he confessed, despite telling his legal team he could not remember anything.

Instead he told his counsel he believed his young accuser, who cannot be named.

The court was told Davidson was caught assaulting his victim by another child.

The youngsters later told an adult about what had happened and police were called and an investigation launched.

Rachael Harrison, prosecuting, said Davidson’s young victim had ‘started crying’ when she reported the attack to police.

Kath Goddard, defending, described his actions as ‘entirely out of character’.

She said the offence coincided with a number of difficulties which included separating from his wife, difficulties at work and running up debts.

The barrister said Davidson he had always led a ‘decent hard-working life providing for his family’ but the offence had led to him losing his home and most of his possessions.

“Bearing in mind the consequences of offending he has pleaded guilty to, a plea in these circumstance has taken real courage.”

She said there was ‘absolutely nothing in the defendant’s previous behaviour that would have given the slightest cause for concern’.

Judge Paul Watson QC described the offence as a ‘moment of weakness’ but said it was so serious only prison could be justified.

He said the victim would have to live with the incident for the rest of her life.

Davidson was given a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for 10 years.

April 2015

A man who had indecent images of children as young as four on his computer has avoided a prison sentence.

Officers who executed a search warrant at Hesket Newmarket in January last year discovered that Matthew Spencer, 25, had downloaded hundreds of still and moving pictures during a 20-month period at the address.

More than 40 of the images were found to be of the most serious type – category A.

At Carlisle Crown Court, Spencer pleaded guilty to 10 charges of making indecent images of children.

He escaped a jail term, Judge Paul Batty QC ordering him instead to comply with a three-year sex offender treatment programme in a bid to ensure the crimes are not repeated.

Spencer, now of Denton Mill Close, Carlisle, was placed under supervision for three years and must sign the sex offenders’ register for five years.

He was also made subject to an order which prohibits him from accessing computers or the internet without police-approved monitoring equipment.

April 2015

Choirmaster at £29,000-a-year private school ‘took teenage pupil’s virginity in his office after she confided in him that she’d been abused by ANOTHER teacher’ 

A choirmaster at an exclusive private school took a vulnerable student’s virginity just months after she confided in him that she had been abused by another music teacher, a court heard.

Edward Moore was working in his first job as assistant director of music at King Edward’s School in Witley, Surrey, when he had consensual sex with the female student in his office.

After the incident, the 24-year-old said to her: ‘Oh my God, you have to forgive me, you will hate me one day.’

Moore, from Ascot, Berkshire, was jailed for nine months on Friday after admitting two counts of abusing a position of trust and sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 17 years.

He had only been working for a few months when he began to grow close to the student.

The girl came to him in November 2012 to reveal she had been touched inappropriately by another music teacher when she was aged just 13.

The teacher, Roger Sanders, was charged with multiple counts of indecent assault and handed a four-month suspended sentence in March 2014 for touching her legs, bottom and breasts.

Moore, who was the girl’s choirmaster, had only been at the school for a few months. 

Gary Ponds, prosecuting at Guildford Crown Court, told how Moore had taken on a counselling role for the traumatised young girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

He said: ‘Their relationship over time developed until it was past the point of a proper teaching relationship.’

While Moore did not teach the girl he was in position of authority as her choirmaster.

After rumours began circulating at the £29,000-a-year school, which Sally Bercow previously attended, the headmaster warned Moore not to spend any more time alone with the pupil or let her into his office.

But their friendship turned into a sexual relationship over the summer of 2013. They sometimes spent Friday nights together and secretly travelled to Westminster Abbey and the Isle of Wight on trips. 

Mr Ponds said that on one Friday Moore asked if the student wanted have sexual intercourse.

He continued: ‘She agrees and that is what happened. She made it clear that she was a virgin at the time.

‘It was abundantly clear throughout that this was an emotionally fragile girl.’ 

There was no further sexual activity and Moore, who did not use a condom, cut communication with the pupil. She later rang Childline because she was feeling suicidal and confessed about the tryst to a school chaplain, who was obliged to tell the school.

Judge Peter Moss said the impact of Moore’s offending had forced the schoolgirl to move to another school and left her with ‘long term implications on her education and her future dreams’.

He described her as a ‘bright and ambitious girl’.

He added: ‘Her emotions have been in a high degree of mess because of your actions.

‘You knew of her vulnerabilities, that is how you came to be in the proximity. Taking her on trips amounts to a grooming of her. 

‘It appears by this stage she was starry-eyed and in love with you and you expressed the same to her.

‘The following week you took her virginity without a condom. These are all aggravating features.

‘You stole her innocence.’ 

Moore, dressed in a white shirt and blue tie, wiped his eyes as details of his victim’s trauma were read to the court. 

Rina-Marie Hill, defending, said Moore had struggled to cope with the pressure of hearing the details of the student’s previous abuse in his first term of work, having no experience of teaching or any training.

She said: ‘He wasn’t allocated the complainant to look after, she came to him and for a significant time their relationship was a proper student-teacher relationship.

‘The activity ceased because of Mr Moore’s actions – he realised he had gone too far and he distanced himself from the complainant.’

The choirmaster described the two instances of sexual activity over two weeks as a ‘horrific mistake’ that he would ‘pay for for the rest of his life,’ the court heard.

Ms Hill added: ‘He will never teach again and he will have this conviction on his record for the rest of his life.’ 

Judge Moss told the court he found it ‘impossible’ to avoid imposing an immediate custodial sentence, despite Moore’s early admission of guilt and previous ‘exemplary’ character.

Sentencing he said: ‘It is abundantly clear that you have much to offer and that this is out of character.

‘But the message must be understood by those in positions of trust, however young.

‘You were 23, an intelligent man who knew what you were dealing with. You knew that she had immature, young and fragile emotions and there can be no mercy for someone who abuses that.’ 

Moore will also be put on the Sex Offenders Register and will be barred from working with children. 

April 2015

I was framed by the Illuminati, claims father of eight caught with nearly 20,000 child abuse images

A father-of-eight caught with almost 20,000 images of child abuse on his computer and mobile claimed he was framed by the Illuminati.

Police raided Alan Greaves’s home in Colne, Lancashire in September 2013 where they found the disturbing images on a digital storage device. 

Forensic examination of the abuse images found almost 700 were of the most serious category, with a further 872 at the next level. 

Burnley Crown Court heard there were also 17,821 other indecent images with 106 movies.  

Laura Barbour, defending, said she had been instructed the reason Greaves had the images on his computer was because he was conducting an investigation on the ‘Illuminati’.

He believed the group ‘disseminates’ such material and that is how images ended up on his computer, the court heard.

She added: ‘He told police he has no interest in children sexually in any way.’

The court was told the defendant, who has children aged around 30 to two-years-old, was also a full-time carer for his disabled sister.

Jailing him for 21 months, Judge Simon Newell said there appeared to be sexually-explicit images of females aged just 10, or younger, which had assembled over a three-year period.

‘If it was not for people viewing these images, there would be a chance these children would not be harmed,’ he said.

Greaves, who pleaded guilty to two offences of making indecent images, was also given a sexual harm prevention order and told to sign the sex offenders’ register for the next 10 years.

He is also barred from working with children.

April 2015

Man, 26, tried to film child at Olympia changing room

A man tried to film a child removing their swimwear in a cubical at a Dundee swimming pool.

Lee Coull, 26, held his mobile phone over the top of a cubical at Olympia Leisure Centre and tried to video or photograph the child as they changed after swimming, Dundee Sheriff Court was told.

The court heard the frightened child shouted out and tried to push the phone away, but it re-emerged seconds later in the same place.

Fiscal depute Alex Piper told the court that the incident took place at around 4pm on Tuesday, shortly after the victim and their friend had been swimming in the pool.

The fiscal said: “The friends were in separate cubicles next to each other and were talking to each other as they changed. The complainer’s friend passed a bottle of juice to them under the bottom of the cubicle.

“The complainer bent down to pick it up, and at that point they became aware of a male in the cubicle opposite.

“A few minutes later the child looked up and saw a black mobile phone being held from the opposite cubicle, at the top of their cubicle, looking down at them.

“They shouted, ‘Go away,’ and at the same time they tried to hit the phone away.

“The phone disappeared, only to appear at the same area a few seconds later.”

The complainer became upset and, with the friend, they walked round to the next row of cubicles to see if they could see anyone.

The fiscal continued: “The friends noticed that one of the cubicles was still locked and the rest were all vacant.

“They informed staff and police were contacted.”

Coull, of Alloway Terrace, admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner which was likely to cause a reasonable person fear or alarm, by placing his mobile phone over the top of a swimming changing cubicle in an attempt to take a video or photograph of a minor, at Olympia Leisure Centre, on April 14.

Sentence was deferred until May 13 for reports.

Coull was given bail with an added special condition banning him from entering the Olympia.

April 2015

Man jailed for sexual offences against schoolgirl in Doncaster

A Doncaster man has been jailed after admitting child abduction and a number of sexual offences against a schoolgirl.

Leslie Thornton, aged 21, of Queensberry Road, Intake, was jailed for three years at Sheffield Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to 10 counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of child abduction.

Thornton began a relationship with a 14-year-old girl in October 2013 and admitted knowing her age when he started a sexual relationship with her.

The victim’s mother contacted police in August 2014 to raise concerns about her daughter’s relationship after she found out Thornton’s age and that the relationship was sexual.

Thornton was arrested and served with an abduction notice as the investigation continued. He breached that by seeing the victim on several occasions.

Detective Constable Amanda Walker, who led the investigation, said: “Thornton took advantage of this young girl who was vulnerable due to her age.

“He knew she was under the age of consent but chose to pursue a sexual relationship with her and lied about his age to her family.

“He has admitted his offences and has been brought to justice and hopefully this young girl and her family can now try to move forward with their lives.

“I would encourage any parent with concerns of this nature about a child to contact us so we can take the necessary action.”

November 2002

Sex offender jailed for burglary

A CONVICTED sex offender was seen climbing the steps of a bunk bed where a 13-year-old girl was asleep while he burgled her home. But the girl woke up and Keith Williams turned and fled out of the house in Wrexham, Mold Crown Court was told yesterday.

Williams denied a charge of attempted indecent assault which was accepted by the prosecution when he admitted burglary with intent to steal. He was jailed for four years.

The fact that Williams was already on the sex offenders’ register for life following a similar incident in 1997, when he broke into a woman’s house and fondled her while she slept, had influenced the decision, explained prosecutor John Wyn Williams.

And his plea to the replacement offence also meant that the victim and her younger sister did not have to go through the trauma of giving evidence against him.

Keith Williams, 40, of Cefn Dre on the Queen’s Park Estate at Wrexham – who had a large number of previous convictions for burglary – admitted a public order offence after the girl’s father bravely followed the defendant, only to be threatened by him.

And the defendant admitted two more house burglaries at Wrexham after he had been released on bail following the incident with the girl. Judge John Rogers QC said he had entered the bedroom where two young teenagers were asleep.

“For them it must have been a terrifying experience,” the judge said. “Only a substantial prison sentence is appropriate.”

He said that the seriousness of the burglary was that having gone into a house, where there were people asleep, he then went into a bedroom where he must have known there were young people – because there were bunk beds there.

The defendant then started to climb the ladder where a child was asleep on the top bunk.

Mr Wyn Williams told how one night last May the girl was in bed with her younger sister asleep on the bunk below.

At about 12.15am she heard the door open and thought it was her brother. She went to asleep and at about 3.05am she was woken by the defendant switching on the light.

Mr Wyn Williams told how she saw a stranger climb up the ladder to her bunk, she sat up and the defendant ran out of the room. The girl woke her father who bravely followed the defendant and confronted him.

But the defendant got a stick or a bar and threatened to kill him. Both the girl and her father picked the defendant out on an identification parade, but he continued to deny that he was responsible and put forward an alibi defence that he was elsewhere at the time.

Defending barrister Keith Sutton stressed that the current burglary offence was financially motivated, and that there was no sexual motivation. He had entered a guilty plea on the morning of the trial but it was the first opportunity that he had to plead to the new charge.