May 2015

Hundreds of children linked to sex offence probe

A sex offender who “relentlessly pursued” victims as young as 11 online may have assaulted hundreds of girls and young women, police have said.

Bahmani Ahmadi, 22, posed as a 14-year-old named Holly in order to befriend his targets.

He was described as “possibly the most dangerous” offender police had encountered.

Ahmadi will be sentenced in July after he previously admitted a string of charges at Newcastle Crown Court.

He pleaded guilty to 18 counts in all, including sexual assault, grooming, and inciting child prostitution.

The court heard Ahmadi, of Hampstead Road, Benwell, plied his victims with drink.

Northumbria Police Det Supt Steve Barron said he may have targeted hundreds of victims.

He said: “He was using social media to groom children, some as young as 11, with a view to actually meeting those children, taking them to his address and sexually offending against them, typically when they were under the influence of large amounts of alcohol.

“He is possibly the most dangerous person I’ve come across in 22 years of policing.”

The force said investigations were ongoing in a bid to find more victims.

May 2015

Pervert set up secret spy cam to film naked schoolboys

HE WAS an obsessive internet down-loader who had 1,000 computer hard-drives and amassed almost 40,000 child abuse photos.

But when police zeroed in on loner Giles Curtis’ basement lair they discovered he had another dark secret.

He had deployed a spy camera to film naked Bristol Grammar School boys.

Curtis, 48, of Collingwood Road in Bristol, pleaded guilty to 15 charges of downloading indecent photos of youngsters.

He also admitted possessing indecent material with intent to distribute it, possessing prohibited cartoons and taking indecent images.

Jailing him for a year, Judge Julian Lambert told him: “You accept a breath-taking array of child abuse images.”

The judge ordered Curtis to register as a sex offender for ten years.

Judge Lambert adjourned an application for such an order to a date to be fixed.

John Mannion, prosecuting, said Avon and Somerset police’s internet child abuse team was contacted by the National Crime Agency regarding individuals in the force area suspected of downloading and sharing child abuse material.

As a result police obtained a search warrant and called at Curtis’ flat, where he initially asked them to return later.

Police, however, executed the warrant.

Mr Mannion said: “A search was made of the basement flat. It was a small flat full of computer equipment. There were more than 1,000 hard-drives on the floor as well as four computer towers, mobile phones and i-pods.”

Forensic examination of material showed:

• Category A, (penetrative sexual activity) 2,127 images and 132 movies

• Category B, (non-penetrative sexual activity) 3,896 images and 215 movies

• Category C, (erotic posing) 32,317 images and 283 movies

Mr Mannion said police also found that Curtis had secret footage taken within the men’s changing room of the University of Bristol swimming pool in Clifton.

Mr Mannion told the court: “A covert camera had been placed in a holdall to film schoolboys or adult males getting undressed.

“Clips showed schoolboys nude or partially dressed, with their private parts or bottoms.

“They came from a school in Bristol which has the pool two times a week.”

Timothy Rose, defending, said: “Mr Curtis has been a voyeur, a consumer and a somewhat obsessive collector of this material and stuff he never had the opportunity to view or know the contents of.”

Rod MacKinnon, headmaster of Bristol Grammar School, said: “The safety and wellbeing of our students is of the utmost importance to everyone at BGS and we consistently review our policies and procedures to ensure pupils are protected.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure that all members of the school community have the information and support they need regarding the outcome of this court case.

“I am appreciative of the professional and sensitive manner with which the police have managed this disturbing case.”

May 2015

Paedophile handed 18-year jail term for sexual offences against children

A PAEDOPHILE who committed serious sexual offences against two young children has been jailed for a total of 18 years.

Matthew Cook, 29, of Bramber Road, Gosport, who formerly lived in both the Chichester and Bognor Regis areas, was told he will serve at least 12 years in prison when he was sentenced at Chichester Crown Court on Thursday.

Cook had been found guilty of seven sexual offences at an earlier trial – five counts of indecent assault against a child, one count of indecency with a child and one count involving a serious sexual offence against a child under the age of 13.

Some of the offences took place in the Chichester and Bognor areas as well as at an address in Farnborough.

Passing sentence, judge Christopher Park QC said: “I have seen at the trial, and on the victim films made over several years as they grow up and come to terms with the emotions of what you have done.

“The impact statements detail graphically that what you have done has wholly impacted on their lives and continues to do so.

“It was my view, even before reading the pre-sentence report, that you pose a continued danger to the public.

“You pose a serious risk of serious harm in particular to prepubescent children.”

The court heard that Cook groomed and sexually abused two girls under the age of 13 over a number of years, and that his abuse had continued to escalate.

Judge Parker QC remarked on Cook’s continued denial of any guilt, and the fact that it was only the ‘brave actions’ of the victims who brought the offences to light before they then gave evidence to court.

Because of the seriousness of the offences Cook was handed an extended sentence for one of the charges.

Cook showed little emotion as he was sentenced to a total of 26 years, 18 of which will be served in prison with a further eight years on licence.

He was also placed on the sex offenders register and handed a life-long Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

May 2015

‘Lifetime’ paedophile jailed for sex assaults on three girls

A TORPOINT man indulged a lifetime’s sexual interest in children by preying on young girls over a 55-year period.

Robin Woodrow-Gill indecently assaulted his first victim when he was aged just 18 in the late 1950s.

Now aged 73, his latest offences took place against a young girl just over a year ago after he had groomed her by giving gifts of food and clothing, Truro Crown Court heard on Friday when he was jailed.

At earlier hearings, Woodrow-Gill, of Clarence Road, admitted a series of sexual offences relating to two victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

He had denied assaulting a child aged under-13 by penetration in 2013 – in relation to a third victim – but on Wednesday on the day his trial was due to begin he changed his plea to guilty.

Joss Ticehurst, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said the girl told her mother that Woodrow-Gill had touched her.

Mr Ticehurst said: “[The girl] told her mother that the defendant had said that it was their secret …The defendant would give her sweets, food and gifts including clothing.

“This man was slowly ingratiating himself with her.”

The girl’s mother reported the matter to police and having heard rumours about his arrest, two other victims came forward a few days later.

Mr Ticehurst said neither of those women knew each other.

He said Woodrow-Gill touched his first victim inappropriately when she was aged seven in either 1958 or 1959.

That woman told police in 2013 that she recalled playing and being dared to go into some public toilets where she found Woodrow-Gill.

Mr Ticehurst said: “She said ‘I try not to think about it because I feel ashamed that I let it happen to me’.”

Woodrow-Gill admitted indecently assaulting that girl. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of indecently assaulting another girl over a 10-year period from 1982 and three counts of indecency with a child in relation to her.

The court heard Woodrow-Gill also had two previous convictions for similar offences in 1964, which had involved him indecently assaulting two girls, aged six and seven.

Rupert Taylor, for the defence, said Woodrow-Gill’s guilty pleas, at varying stages, had prevented all of his victims from having to give evidence and relive their ordeals in front of a packed court.

Mr Taylor added: “In all other respects he is a man who has led an honest and industrious life.”

Sentencing Woodrow-Gill to a total of 10 years imprisonment, Judge Christopher Harvey Clark, QC, said: “You are a paedophile.

“You have had a lifetime’s sexual interest in young children.”

Judge Harvey Clark said Woodrow-Gill had perpetrated “pernicious evil” on three people and made him the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

He will also have to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

May 2015

Former Radio 1 DJ & Lib Dem MP candidate sentenced for downloading child abuse images

A FORMER BBC Radio 1 DJ and one-time Loughborough MP candidate has been sentenced for downloading hundreds of indecent images and movies of children.

Michael Willis, aged 69, of Barnsdale Close, Loughborough, pleaded guilty at Leicester Crown Court on nine counts of downloading indecent images and movies between 2006 and 2013.

He was in possession of the images while standing as a Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Loughborough at the 2010 General Election.

The election saw him secure nearly 10,000 votes from local residents.

Willis, who went under the stage name Steve Merike when he was a disc jockey, was a BBC Radio One DJ in the 1970s. He was also a DJ on the famous pirate station Radio Caroline.

In the 1975 he was a presenter on the television show called Pop Quest and interviewed stars such as T-Rex’s Marc Bolan.

The court heard that he also lectured for 15 years at New College Nottingham and Nottingham Trent as well as being the governor at a number of schools.

The police were made aware of his offending in October 2013 and raided his Loughborough home where a laptop, hard drive and five memory cards were recovered.

They discovered 306 indecent movies of children and 527 indecent images of children.

They ranged from Category A to C.

Prosecutor Lynsey Knott told the court that Willis, during a police interview, said that he had been researching this material after being “intrigued by the Jimmy Savile affair” and wanted to pass on his findings to a sociologist.

He also claimed to the police that while some of the images were downloaded others appeared because his computer had been hacked.

Michael Collis, defending Willis, said that “what had gone on in his early years” and the breakdown of his second marriage in 2006-7 was the catalyst for his offending.

He said: “He has come to accept his true offending behaviour and started to reflect on what drove him to behave the way he did.”

The court heard that he is of previous good character and resigned from his lecturing and governor posts as soon as he was arrested.

Recorder S.J Ward handed Willis a suspended sentence of nine months and an Internet Sexual Treatment Programme.

He must also not use any device to access the Internet where web history is not retained and displayed.

If police find that he has deleted his history he will be in breach of the order and can serve five years in prison.

He sobbed in the dock while being read his sentence.

Mr Ward said: “You are 69 and you have never been convicted before and I can understand that a man in your position in society will feel great shame coming before the court especially on sexual crimes of this nature.

“What you have lost as a result of your actions is what I have taken into account.

“You must understand that when you look at images of children being raped, because that’s what you have looked at, you are witnessing very serious sexual crimes.

“You should confront the reasons why you committed these crimes in the first place so you don’t do it again.”

* MIKE Willis was born in Lewisham, South London, October 23, 1945.

He has lived in Loughborough since 1992.

He served in the RAF for six years.

The BBC staff website states that Mike Willis (then known as Steve Merike) started his career with Radio Caroline and then progressed to a short spell on BBC Radio 1.

He ran stations in Australia and lectured on the radio and in the media.

In the 1970s, he presented a television show called Pop Quest, where he interviewed Marc Bolan of T-Rex.

At the 2010 General Election, he was the Liberal Democrats candidate to stand as MP for Loughborough.

He stood against Labour’s Andy Reed and Conservative’s Nicky Morgan.

He obtained 9,675 votes from Loughborough people and came third. He lost to Nicky Morgan.

In 2010, he told the Echo he had been a radio programmer and senior manager from 1967 to 2000, and was now a lecturer in Media and Multi-media.

During his personal manifesto speech in 2010, he told the Echo: “In Loughborough I have worked hard to recover funding for John Storer House, to beat off the attack by the county council to get rid of our schools leaving our communities without a heart, to save Shepshed from an ill conceived incinerator.”

He also stood to be a Liberal Democrat borough councillor in the Loughborough Lemyngton ward in 2011, but did not secure enough votes.

He also stood to be county councillor of Loughborough East in 2013, but again, lost out to Labour.

May 2015

Stoke Mandeville Doctor Had Indecent Images Of Children On His PC

A Stoke Mandeville Hiospital doctor’s admitted downloading indecent images of children onto his computer.

When police went to Timmy Kowlessar’s home on Danes Way in Leighton Buzzard, they seized his computer and hard-drives with 18 indecent images on them.

After his arrest in May 2014, the gynaecologist was suspended from his position in the midwifery department at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury and does not know if the GMC will allow him to work again in the future.

The 42 year old father of one pleaded guilty at Luton Crown Court to three charges of possessing indecent images of children.

Prosecutor Daniel Siong said police went to his home in Danes Way, Leighton Buzzard and seized various computers and hard drives.

Analysis showed that amongst a very large collection of adult pornography were 18 images of children, of which 12 had been deleted.

One image was in the most serious category, 14 at the second level and three in the last category.

He made no comment in interview.

Dr Kowlessar, who has since moved away to Norfolk, was given a 12 month community order, with 12 months supervision and 200 hours unpaid work.

He must also abide by a Sexual Harm Prevention order, and sign the Sex Offenders register for five years, pay a £60 victim surcharge and forfeit his computer equipment.

May 2015

61-year-old man jailed for multiple sex offences against schoolboy

An East Sussex man has gone to prison after being convicted of sexual assaults on a schoolboy more than ten years ago.

David Cager, 61, of Old Shoreham Road, Hove, appeared at Hove Crown Court today, Friday May 22, and was sentenced to a total of nine years.

He had been convicted last month of 13 counts on unanimous verdicts by a jury at the same Court.

The offences covered the period from September 2003 to November 2004, all against the same boy, then aged between 14 and 15. They comprised indecent assault, sexual activity with a child, gross indecency with a child and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Detective Constable Duncan Chalmers of the Brighton Safeguarding Investigations Unit said; “Cager worked at the time as an emergency out of hours officer for Brighton and Hove City Council, at the Council depot in Upper Hollingdean Road, Brighton. He invited the victim there where he groomed him with gifts and money in exchange for sexually abusing him there. Abuse also took place at Cager’s home.”

May 2015

Soldier downloaded hundreds of child abuse movies

A soldier downloaded hundreds of movies of child abuse with victims as young as three – because he had become “immune” to normal porn.

Serving soldier Royal Dragoon Guard Raymond Astley became used to extreme images after years of viewing porn, a court was told.

He began downloading films and images of children being sexually abused and of sex involving animals.

Police went to his house in Wilson Street, Cardiff, and seized a computer and various hard drives, prosecutor Gareth James told the court.

After weeks trawling through them, they found 903 movies and 42 pictures at the most serious level.

There were also 558 movies and 176 stills in categories B and C.

Mr James said it would have been so costly and time-consuming to forensically examine every hard drive that only “triage checks” were done.

Astley, who was said to have previously lived an “unblemished” life, appeared beforeCardiff Crown Court via a live video link to Parc prison where he was being held on remand.

He was on bail but arrested and held in custody after being found with a laptop.

The 55-year-old told police he “started with legitimate porn” and for the “past five years progressed to images involving children”.

Mr James told the court: “He said he had become immune to ‘normal porn’ and moved on the extreme porn and that featuring children.”

The children captured in the images and footage were aged between three and 16.

Karl Williams, defending, said Astley had an unblemished Army record and did not seek to blame things he saw for his offending.

He told the court: “Mr Astley does not have an interest in engaging in sex with children. He knows many people do progress from watching this material to going on to such activities but there is no evidence of that at all in this case.”

Recorder Huw Rees jailed Astley for 12 months, put him on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years, and imposed a five-year restriction on his use of the internet and his contact with children.

He pleaded guilty to six charges of possessing indecent images of children.

May 2015

Pervert jailed for child abuse images was wearing females red knickers when police called

A PERVERT pensioner is behind bars for amassing a library of child abuse pictures and stealing underwear from elderly neighbours at his sheltered housing complex.

Robert Black spent ten years downloading from the internet and sharing indecent images and extreme pornography before his arrest in February, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The balding deviant, 69, was wearing a pair of red knickers when police turned up to search his home in Derwent Grange, Hartlepool, said prosecutor Harry Hadfield.

He confessed to a history of dressing up in women’s clothes and told officers they would find a huge collection of stolen pants if they searched his flat.

There were also photographs of him wearing knickers on one of his three mobile phones, along with evidence he had sent two images of child abuse to another paedophile.

When experts examined his computer equipment, a total of almost 500 photos and film clips of youngsters were found, along with some depicting bestiality.

In an interview with police, Black said he was “astonished” at how many he had found online, confessed to looking at them over and again, and said some had been sent to him.

When he was asked his thoughts were of people who trade in child abuse, he said it was “disgusting”, and told officers that children should be better protected

Judge Howard Crowson told Black his deviant behaviour was worrying as he jailed him for two years and put him on the sex offenders’ register for ten years.

Jane Foley, mitigating, said: “One of the concerns expressed by the probation officer is that there doesn’t appear to be any real motivation for the offending.

“He has accepted regularly viewing the images, and while he has expressed remorse and disgust, the author of his pre-sentence report takes the view he remains a high risk of reoffending.

“It is hoped Mr Black will receive some treatment while he is in custody.”

Black admitted charges of making and distributing indecent photographs of children, theft and possessing extreme pornographic material at an earlier hearing

May 2015

Former head teacher of a state boarding school has been jailed for sexually abusing boys

The former head teacher of a state boarding school has been jailed for seven years for sexually abusing boys.

Eric de Smith, 76, from Stowmarket, assaulted pupils at Oakwood School in the town. The school closed in 2000.

His crimes were committed against several boys in the 1970s and 1980s.

Judge Rupert Overbury described the victims as vulnerable children and told de Smith his offences were “plainly for your own personal perverse gratification”.

The Suffolk County Council-run school opened in 1974 for boys with emotional and behavioural problems.

Oakwood is now a Suffolk County Council pupil referral unit on Chilton Way in Stowmarket

Former pupils have spoken of an “abusive regime” at the school.

De Smith, of Danes Close, was found guilty of seven charges of sexual assault or indecency during a trial earlier in the year at Ipswich Crown Court.

Sentencing him at the same court, the judge said: “This was a gross breach of trust as headmaster of vulnerable pupils.”

Victim statements described the emotional scars and “gut-wrenching betrayal”.

One victim said: “It was 10 minutes in that office, but for me a life sentence.”

Eric de Smith, Michael Watts and Gerald West worked at the state-run boarding school, which closed in 2000

Two other ex-Oakwood teachers were sentenced prior to de Smith.

Gerald West, 71, and Michael Watts, 59, had been standing trial this week at Ipswich Crown Court, but they each changed some of their pleas to guilty and each admitted two offences of physically abusing pupils.

West, of Martins Meadow, Gislingham in Suffolk, had denied 10 child cruelty charges and the jury was directed to find him not guilty of eight.

Watts, of Sellwood Road, Netley Abbey, Southampton had denied seven charges and jurors were directed to clear him of the remaining five.

Robert Pawson, defending Watts, said: “He accepted he was too regimented and, with the benefit of hindsight, his behaviour on occasions had been inappropriate.”

James Keeley, defending West, said: “There were certain situations when he was placed in the most difficult and impossible circumstances with very limited help.

“His genuine intention was always to help pupils and in many cases he did.”

They were each given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £1,000 in costs after the judge heard they had already spent a considerable amount on legal fees.

Judge Overbury said staff at Oakwood “did an incredibly difficult job dealing with very disruptive, disobedient and aggressive children” but the the assaults and ill treatment by Watts and West amounted to a breach of trust caused by a loss of control.

Afterwards, some former pupils said they were “very happy” with the head teacher’s sentence, but unhappy that Watts and West had walked free.

More than 100 former pupils have mounted a civil case for compensation.

May 2015

Paedophile jailed for five years after sexually abusing youngster in Swadlincote

THE family of a 14-year-old who was sexually abused by a pensioner has spoken of the ‘horrendous’ impact his actions have had on the family after he was jailed for five years.

Alan Latham was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with an underage girl after he sexually abused the girl, who was aged between 10 and 12 at the time, on three separate occasions.

The mother of the youngster, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: “She told one of our neighbours what had happened to her. I was absolutely devastated. We trusted someone like that.

“She is so quiet now.

“She is not the lively, bubbly girl she once was. She shuts herself in her bedroom and finds it difficult to make or maintain friends.

“It has totally changed her. She is going through counselling but it has been a tough three years.

“I don’t think any sentence will be enough for a parent for putting a child through that but I am happy.

“It has been horrendous for us over the past few years.

“I haven’t wanted to get out of bed and my daughter is going through all different emotions.

“We have been trying to move on but it is never going to go away but we hope to get closure now.”

The court heard Latham still denied the offences took place despite being found guilty by a jury during his trial which saw his now 14-year-old victim give evidence against him.

He was told he had ‘should have been there to protect the child’ who was a family friend.

But instead he ‘abused his position for sexual gratification’ a judge said.

Recorder Gareth Evans, jailing Latham, said: “You were convicted by a jury on what I considered was overwhelming evidence.

“They saw through your defence. This was a gross breach of trust.

“The girl and her family trusted you as a family friend and you saw that as an opportunity to abuse that trust.

“On three occasions you sexually abused her and you have changed what was an outgoing child into someone that cannot trust any other human being, not even her own family. You should have been there to protect her but you did not.You used your position to sexually abuse her.”

Each time the offence took place at his home in Swadlincote, the trial was told.

Andrew Vout, prosecuting, said: “She was scared and shocked.”

The sentencing hearing this week was told how Latham, now of Grange Road, Ibstock, Leicestershire, had a previous conviction, dating back to 1996, of taking an indecent photograph of a child.

Ben Williams, for the 65-year-old, said his client suffers from muscular dystrophy. Mr Williams said: “He continues to deny the matters and what I do challenge about it is how this was a planned and predatory offence.

“The culpability is high because of the abuse of trust and he is terrified at the prospect of prison because his disability will leave him more vulnerable due to the nature of the offences he has been convicted of.”

May 2015

Child rapist jailed after sexually assaulting four young girls

A PAEDOPHILE who sexually assaulted four young girls and repeatedly raped one of them has been jailed for 14 years.

David Power, aged 40, of no fixed address, abused the girls, one as young as six, over several years, Bolton Crown Court heard.

The crimes only came to light in January this year when one of the victims told her mother what had been happening.

Gavin Howie, prosecuting, told the court how police were contacted and the disclosure led to three further victims coming forward.

“Once the revelation had been made they all felt empowered to tell their story,” said Mr Howie.

Power would touch the girls under their clothing and perform sex acts upon himself.

The abuse then escalated and led to the repeated rape of one girl when she was aged 13.

Mr Howie said the girl had been worried about getting pregnant but Power told her he had had a vasectomy.

“She said she would say no but he physically imposed himself upon her,” said Mr Howie.

Power was arrested the day after a complaint was made to police and he immediately admitted his guilt.

“He was able to recall in some detail what he had done,” said Mr Howie.

Power told officers he had been unable to stop abusing the children.

“He said there was a spark within him — an urge to touch them which he felt unable to resist,” said Mr Howie.

Power pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, four charges of sexually assaulting a child under 13 and assault.

He was jailed for 14 years and Judge Timothy Stead also made orders placing him on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period and banning him from working with children and vulnerable adults.

May 2015

Accountant caught with a huge stash of child abuse images

AN ACCOUNTANT who stole almost half a million pounds from a Bradford conveyancing firm to pay for escort girls and a plush flat is behind bars awaiting a long prison sentence.

Anthony Simpson ripped off Hammonds Direct while hoarding and distributing a huge stash of child abuse images, Bradford Crown Court heard.

He was warned by Judge Mark Savill: “You will inevitably receive a lengthy sentence of imprisonment and you will stay in custody until we meet again on June 12.”

Bearded and bespectacled Simpson, 53, changed his plea to guilty on the fourth day of his trial last week for stealing £490,420 from the partners of Hammonds Direct, between September 1, 2008, and July 8, 2010.

He insisted on representing himself at every court hearing.

Yesterday, he was brought back to the court from prison and he admitted 27 offences involving the distribution and possession of more than 300,000 indecent images of children.

Simpson, who wore a short-sleeved purple shirt and white trousers, was remanded back into custody for the preparation of a report from the probation service.

He will be sentenced on June 12.

Judge Savill lifted a court order banning any publicity about the theft case.

Simpson, of Wood Avenue, Dale Lane Estate, Heckmondwike, transferred money to himself from Hammonds Direct and made unauthorised cash withdrawals from its bank accounts.

The money is believed to have gone to a wide range of recipients, including around £100,000 to an escort agency and payments to a surgical company. Simpson also funded a flat in Leeds.

When he was arrested in July, 2010, the police seized a number of laptop computers that were found to contain a huge amount of child porn images and movies, including some at the highest level of seriousness.

When officers returned to the Heckmondwike address some months later, they caught Simpson red-handed downloading more illegal pictures of children.

He pleaded guilty to six offences of distributing indecent images of children by putting them in a ‘share folder'; 20 charges of making indecent images and movies of children and a roll-up count of making a further 312,780 child abuse images, all on or before July 16, 2010.

Judge Savill ordered Simpson to sign on the sex offenders register for a period that will be determined by the length of time he is jailed for.

Kirstie Watson, barrister for the Crown, said a Sexual Offences Prevention Order had been drafted ready for the sentencing hearing.

Hammonds Direct, based at Pennine House in Well Street, Little Germany, went bust in 2009 with the loss of 200 jobs.

It went under after losing 80 per cent of its business to a collapse in mortgage lending.

The firm was established in 1995 and grew to be the UK’s leading bulk conveyancing business, with a turnover of more than £14 million.

It had offices in Manchester and Mumbai in India and focused mainly on re-mortgage business, helping people switch their loans between lenders.

May 2015

Werrington man pretended to be 13-year-old girl to talk to paedophiles online

PERVERT Neil Probyn created a fake profile purporting to be a 13-year-old girl so he could contact paedophiles online.

The 44-year-old was arrested after indecent images were found on another pervert’s computer, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard.

He immediately admitted he had set up fake profiles of two young girls which were used by paedophiles to talk about sexual matters online.

Police seized his computer and laptop and 470 indecent images and 20 movies were recovered.

Now Probyn has been handed a three-year community order after the court heard he had made efforts to address his behaviour.

Prosecutor Joanne Barker said: “Police discovered a man had been contacting someone purporting to be a 13-year-old girl. Police established the 13-year-old girl was this defendant. He immediately made admissions that he had set up fake profiles of two young girls.”

Police advised Probyn to seek help and he paid £750 to attend the Lucy Faithful Foundation – a child protection charity dedicated to reducing the risk of children being sexually abused.

In total police found 470 indecent images and 20 moving images.

Probyn, of Washerwall Lane, Werrington, pleaded guilty to eight offences of making indecent photographs and two charges of distributing indecent photos of a child. The offending spanned from June 2010 to August 2013.

Nick Tatlow, mitigating, said it has taken 21 months for the case to be sent to court, which has been a strain on the defendant.

He said Probyn had done everything possible to address his problem but he said the rehabilitation process was not yet complete and Probyn would benefit from a sex offender treatment programme.

Judge David Fletcher sentenced Probyn to a three-year community order with supervision and a requirement to complete the internet sex offender programme. He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for five years and will be on the sex offenders’ register for the same period.

Judge Fletcher said: “You still seem to be in denial that you derived sexual satisfaction at looking at these images. I am sceptical about that and find it difficult to understand.”

But the judge added: “When you were first spoken to by the police you carried out the course. You say to the probation officer that you are keen to continue where that course left off and continue to look at the reasons for your offending behaviour.

“You are of previous good character, you have no previous convictions, you have expressed a degree of remorse and you have taken steps to address your offending behaviour.”

May 2015

Jailed: Leek pervert, 52, sexually abused 13-year-old schoolgirl and made her pregnant

PERVERT Andrew Crowhurst has been jailed after he sexually abused a 13-year-old and fathered her child.

The 52-year-old had sex with the schoolgirl about 12 times and engaged in other sexual activity with her on other occasions.

But the youngster fell pregnant and had a child, which led to the authorities intervening to find out who the father was.

The teenager eventually disclosed that the defendant was the father.

Now Crowhurst has been jailed for four years and eight months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

Prosecutor Fiona Cortese said the girl gave birth to her child last year.

Miss Cortese said: “Throughout her pregnancy she refused to disclose who the father was.

“She disclosed to her mum the defendant was the father but when she went to challenge him she said it was a boy from school.”

After the child was born the teenager told the authorities Crowhurst was the father.

She said they had engaged in sex without using protection.

The defendant was arrested and was frank in his police interview.

He said he had not groomed the girl. He said he was looking for a companion following the recent death of his parents. He added the sexual relationship ended some weeks before she gave birth.

Crowhurst, of Mill Street, Leek, pleaded guilty to three charges of sexual activity with a child.

Kevin Mortlock, mitigating, said the defendant has accepted his wrongdoing, which is the first step on the path to rehabilitation.

Mr Mortlock said: “He felt bad that the girl became pregnant.

“He expresses regret, through me, that she went through that ordeal as a result of having unprotected sex.”

Mr Mortlock added that Crowhurst does not seek any contact with the teenager.

Judge David Fletcher made Crowhurst the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order which prevents him having unsupervised contact with girls under the age of 16.

He will also be on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Judge Fletcher said: “She was 13 and you were 51. That is a massive disparity in age. You were, and are, old enough to be her grandfather.

“You are not suffering from any form of mental disability or illness. It is difficult to imagine anything more abnormal than this behaviour.

“It is difficult to imagine the damage caused by your behaviour to a 13-year-old child who then becomes a mother of a child. She goes through the trauma and discomfort of pregnancy and child birth and the child is then taken away from her, all when she is still a girl and a child. I think that is going to affect her for the rest of her life.

“To say she may have instigated the sex may be true. You had to say one word – no. You knew it was completely and utterly wrong on every level and you continued to do it. It is shocking behaviour by someone in your position.”

March 2015

Mechanic had sex with 13-year-old girl after she brought bike in to garage

MECHANIC Thomas Grundy had sex with a 13-year-old girl after he sent her a Facebook friend request.

The young dad was aged 18 when he had sex with the schoolgirl after the pair contacted each other on Facebook and Blackberry Messenger.

He invited the girl to his home and had sex with her despite knowing that she was aged only 13.

Now Grundy has been handed a suspended jail sentence at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

Prosecutor Simon Hunka said the defendant met his victim when she took her bike to the garage where he worked.

Mr Hunka said: “He made it very clear by the way he looked at her that there was an attraction towards her.

“He made requests for her to become a Facebook friend and, after a couple of requests, she did.

“On Facebook he asked her age and she said she was 13 years old. In response he said, ‘Oh dear, when are you 14?’

“He then said, ‘It is not fair because you need to be older’.”

Grundy invited the schoolgirl to his house where he began making comments towards her which meant he was going to have sex with her.

The girl believes she was ‘peer-pressured’ into having sex with the defendant.

The 19-year-old, of Shawport Avenue, Bradwell, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity with a child on the day of his trial.

Andrew Turnock, mitigating, said: “His acts last year were simply an aberration.

“He is perhaps immature for one his age.

“The stigma attached to this offence has weighed heavily on him and his family.

“He is full of remorse. He knows his error and he will continue to feel the stigma throughout his life.”

Judge David Fletcher sentenced Grundy to 12 months’ youth custody, suspended for two years, with one-to-one intervention to address his sexual offending. He must also complete 120 hours of unpaid work.

And Grundy, who will be on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years, must pay £1,200 costs and a £100 surcharge.

Judge Fletcher said: “You behaved in an extremely irresponsible way. There is a huge difference between an 18-year-old and a 13-year-old.”

May 2015

Man jailed for 38 months for grooming 13-year-old girl in hope of having sex with her

A MIDDLE aged man’s grooming of an under-age girl culminated in him sending her a message asking if he could have sex with her.

Nigel Fulton followed it up by sending a social media message urging the girl to “be careful”, but asking her to text him the answer.

Durham Crown Court was told he offered her “a deal” to pay her £250 a year to wear revealing clothing and high heel shoes.

On the night he sent her the request for sex he warned the girl that the “deal” would be off if she showed anyone his earlier text.

But his desires failed to be fulfilled as the girl was “uncomfortable” at the messages and showed her father, resulting in police being informed.

Fulton was arrested the following day and told police he had befriended the girl on Facebook, but he was to claim that the messages that night were meant for his partner and were mistakenly sent to the girl.

She was subsequently spoken to by police and told officers of Fulton’s previous offer of the “deal”.

Fulton was further interviewed and asked about “the deal”, which he denied making, telling police, “that would be sick”.

Forty-nine-year-old Fulton, of Henry Street South, Murton, County Durham, previously denied inciting a girl aged 13 or over to engage in sexual activity.

But, about a month before his scheduled trial, he changed his plea and admitted the charge.

The sentencing hearing was told Fulton’s activities have had a great impact on the girl, who has since self-harmed, fallen behind with school work and sought counselling from three different experts.

Amanda Rippon, for Fulton, said he has only one previous relatively minor conviction, with the inappropriate messaging of the girl taking place over only a few months.

She said it has had a “considerable impact” on Fulton’s own family relationships.

“He’s coming to terms with his offending in this way, realising what he did was very wrong and trying to work out why he did what he did.”

Miss Rippon told Judge Christopher Prince that the opportunity to actually indulge in sex with the girl, “never arose, as the text message was seen by her father”.

Jailing him for three years and two months, Judge Christopher Prince told Fulton: “You intended to try to groom and persuade this girl to engage in sexual intercourse with you.

“That was the purpose of your incitement.”

Fulton was also made subject of notification as a sex offender, for life.

May 2015

Convicted sex offender treated young girls as a medic

A convicted sex offender treated five under-age girls while working as a volunteer medic just weeks after he was spared jail.

Simeon Holder, 20, of Ilford was found guilty of sexually assaulting a child under 13 and three counts of possession of an indecent image of a child last July.

Holder received a non-custodial sentence and was barred from having unsupervised contact with girls under 16 through a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO).

But Holder, who had dreams of becoming a police officer, joined Care For You PTS – a company offering medical care at public events. 

May 2015

Devious paedophile jailed for 20 years for preying on vulnerable schoolboy

A PAEDOPHILE who groomed a schoolboy before repeatedly raping him has been locked up for more than 20 years.

Julian Horley, 43, used social networking sites and messaging systems to prey on the vulnerable youngster.

When the boy had his iPad taken from him, devious Horley bought him an iPhone so he could secretly stay in touch.

The pervert, from Cockfield, County Durham, filmed his abuse, and also shared indecent photos with others online.

Horley was told by Judge Howard Crowson, at Teesside Crown Court, that he had robbed his victim of his childhood.

In a ten-minute video recording shown to the court, the boy told how his abuser forced him to keep quiet.

He said Horley warned that he would kill his mother and burn his house down if he ever told anyone their secret.

In her impact statement, the boy’s mother said he had changed since being molested, and tried to run away from home.

“He was a really lovely, smiley, pleasant little boy, but became unhappy, aggressive and angry,” she said.

Horley, now of Pendleton Road, Darlington, admitted rape, sexual assault, making and distributing indecent photos.

He was jailed for 21 years and nine months and ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.

Judge Crowson also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which bans him from having unsupervised contact with under-16s.

Robin Denny, mitigating, said Horley should be given credit for pleading guilty – even though it was at the 11th hour.

He said the admissions on the day he was due to stand trial had saved the victim from reliving his ordeal in court.

“When one considers risk in this case, it should be remembered that this man is 43 and there has been no indication of any other victims over the past years,” said Mr Denny.

“The defendant is properly facing up to the enormity of his offending. I appreciate the likely damage the boy may have been caused.”

The court heard how Horley bought his victim gifts, and on at least one occasion communicated with him at 3am.

When his mobile phone was analysed, 233 indecent images were found, and a message in which Horley asked the boy to send him explicit videos.

May 2015

Child abuser who had previous convictions jailed again

A PENSIONER has been jailed for 18 months after he admitted indecently assaulting a young boy in the late 1990s.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, reported 74-year-old Victor Ford to the police in 2013, Truro Crown Court heard last Monday.

Ford, of Moorland Way, Gunnislake, initially denied that anything inappropriate had happened with the boy but changed his plea to guilty on the morning his trial was due to start.

Joss Ticehurst, for the prosecution, said Ford was 58 at the time of the incident with the boy, whom he had touched sexually.

He said the boy, who was now an adult, spoke to his wife about the matter in 2013, before telling his mother. The victim then confronted Ford about what had happened and recorded the conversation on a mobile phone.

“[Ford] said he was sorry,” said Mr Ticehurst. “At one point [the victim] said, ‘I’m glad you’ve accepted it’, and Mr Ford replied, ‘Oh, yes; it did happen’.”

The victim called the police but when Ford was interviewed he told officers that the allegations were a “load of crap”, Mr Ticehurst said.

Ford admitted having indecently assaulted the boy.

The court heard he had previous convictions for sexual offences dating back to the 1980s, which related to a young girl.

Ramsay Quaife, for the defence, said Ford’s guilty plea meant his victim had not had to give evidence. Ford was not in the best of health and had undergone a double heart bypass in the past decade.

Sentencing him, Judge Christopher Harvey Clark QC said the offence had caused the victim considerable difficulties in his life and had cast a shadow over it.

He said: “People who have been sexually abused when children have the scars of that abuse psychologically with them for the rest of their lives; that is why the court, when considering such a case, has to take a serious view about it.”

Ford was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for the next 10 years.