November 2013

Barrow paedophile jailed for child sex abuse

A Barrow man has been jailed for seven and a half years for sexually abusing four girls.

Mark Logan carried out some of the attacks on his victims, who were aged between 12 and 18, at his caravan, Preston Crown Court heard.

The 41-year-old, of Wensum Lea in the town, had pleaded not guilty to five charges of sexual assault.

But the jury found him guilty following a two-week trial. Cumbria Police said Logan was “despicable”.

The offences took place in March, and were reported to police straight away and he was quickly arrested, the court was told.

Det Con Joel Williams, of Cumbria Police, said: “The offences committed by Logan were despicable.

“His actions will have a lasting impact on his victims and their families, as they come to terms with what happened.

“By pleading not guilty he subjected the victims to the further ordeal of a two-week trial.”A Barrow man has been jailed for seven and a half years for sexually abusing four girls.

November 2013

Justice catches up with sex offender at last

JUSTICE has caught up with Andrew Mayne at last.

Perhaps he always knew it would.

The jailing of Mayne for eight years has sent a powerful message to the perpetrators of child abuse.

The 51-year-old sexually assaulted a young girl when she was five while posing as a trusted family friend.

Contrast his behaviour in forcing his victim to testify with her bravery in speaking out to encourage others not to suffer in silence.

Hopefully her words will do just that – and result in other sex offenders being put where they belong.

My sex abuse nightmare: evil family friend locked up for attacks

A WOMAN who faced horrific sexual abuse at the age of just five has spoken out to encourage other young victims to talk to the police.

The 20-year-old was assaulted by trusted family friend Andrew Mayne as she slept in her bunk bed.

For 13 years, she and her older sister, who was in the room on one occasion, kept her abuse a secret before she decided to tell her boyfriend last year.

He then encouraged her to speak to her mum.

Mayne, now 51, has now been sentenced to eight years behind bars for the assault at Bournemouth Crown Court.

He had pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault, forcing his victim to relive her ordeal during his trial.

The woman, who cannot be named, said: “It was really horrible and embarrassing to remember it all again and speak to the police about it, but it was worth it.

“Everyone I met was really kind. It’s not very nice but there’s nothing to be worried about.”

The victim’s mother, who lives in Christchurch, said she was left “reeling” after discovering her daughter had been abused.

“It’s just beyond anything you can imagine,” she said.

“It has been an incredibly harrowing experience, but I’m so glad he’s now in prison.”

Callous Mayne, who pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecent assault, winked at his horror-stricken victim as he walked into the court.

Her mother said: “The effect this has had on all of our lives has been huge.

“But the worst part of it all for me as a mother was that I didn’t know for more than a decade. It breaks my heart to think that they kept this awful secret. I can’t even look at photos of my daughter when she was at that age at the moment because it’s too horrible to even contemplate.”

She urged anyone who is a victim of sexual assault to go to the police.

“Don’t suffer in silence,” she said.

“It has been horrendous, but this evil man is now where he belongs – behind bars.”

Assault was ‘deplorable’

Judge John Harrow said the abuse was “deplorable”.
“The victim was a very young child and you were entrusted with looking after her and her sister,” he said.

“You were in a position of trust.”

The court heard how Mayne, of Whitby Road, Milford on Sea, sexually assaulted his young victim while her sibling was in the room.

Judge Harrow, sentencing, said: “I have taken into account the effect this had on your victim. She described an insecure childhood and panic attacks and these episodes still haunt her now.”

November 2013

Girl’s sex attacker learns his fate

A 63-year-old former security guard was yesterday ordered to take part in a rehabilitation programme after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

Alistair Milne will also be placed under supervision for three years and will remain on the sex offenders’ register for the same period.

Milne, of Altri, 71 Whitehills, Alness, denied sexually assaulting the 15-year-old by putting his hand down her jogging bottoms, touching her, pulling her towards him and kissing her on April 27 last year.

November 2013

Babysitter abused young boy

A pervert who bought a little boy’s silence with sweets after repeatedly sexually assaulting him has been warned to expect a long prison sentence.

Robert Cook, of Eldon Drive, Harraby, was in his late teens when he regularly abused the boy, who was aged between seven and nine.

He denied doing anything wrong but at the city’s Crown Court he was found guilty of four charges of indecent assault and three of incitement to commit gross indecency.

The court heard that some of the offences, committed in the late 1980s, would have amounted to rape under modern law.

Cook, who is now 39, was found not guilty of one further offence of incitement, which was alleged to have taken place in a different house from the others.

The jury took less than half an hour to reach its unanimous verdicts.

During a four-day trial the jury heard how Cook was babysitting the boy when he abused him in his living room, his bedroom and at the top of his stairs.

He gave the child sweets to ensure he did not tell anyone what he was doing.

Prosecuting barrister Tim Brennand told the court Cook committed the offences “to vent his sexual frustrations as he was emerging from puberty and adolescence”.

He said the boy had been so traumatised by what Cook did that he had suffered psychiatric problems ever since.

“He has been tormented over a period of years because of what happened to him as a child at this man’s hands,” he said.

The court heard the victim told no-one until he confided in a girlfriend six years ago.

She told the police, but they took no action because the victim had not himself made a formal complaint.

He told his mother in 2010, and though she confronted Cook about it, again no action was taken.

It was only last year that the police were called in by staff at the Carleton Clinic, where the victim was being treated for depression and other problems, the court heard.

After the verdicts, Cook, who had 153 previous convictions, though none for sex offences, was put on the sex offenders’ register, then remanded in custody for background reports.

He will be sentenced on December 19. Judge Paul Batty QC told him he had “devastated” his victim’s life, so a prison sentence “of some length” was inevitable.

“It will have to be custody – the only question is how long,” he said.

The judge told Cook: “The boy was of an age when he knew perfectly well that this was a very wrong thing to do.

“It was a course of conduct which had appalling consequences as far as your unfortunate victim is concerned.”

April 2012

Man jailed for sex act with teenage girl

A DINNER time school supervisor has been jailed for 26 months after being convicted of sexual activity with a teenage girl.

Keith Adams was told by Judge Andrew Bright QC: “You have a deviant sexual interest in children which you are not prepared to admit.”

The 50-year-old, who was separated from his disabled wife, was also found to have indecent movies of children on his computer when police raided his Woolmer Green home after a friend of the girl involved raised the alarm.

St Albans Crown Court heard Adams began working at a Welwyn Hatfield secondary school in 2008, subsequently befriending the teenager.

She rang him at home and they had long telephone conversations. He told her that he would not call her because his calls could be traced.

Isabel Delamere, prosecuting, said that in December 2009 he went for a walk with her in the woods and kissed her on the lips.

Then, in February 2010, she went back to his flat where he kissed her again, fondled her buttocks and performed a sexual act.

A friend of the girl raised the alarm because she was concerned they were going to have full sex.

Police arrested Adams, a father of one, and found 49 indecent movies on his computer.

Adams, of Twin Foxes, was convicted, after a retrial, of three counts of sexual activity with a child.

He admitted seven charges of making indecent movies of a child, by downloading them, and one of possession of indecent movies of a child.

Defence barrister Sarah Przybylska said there had been no coercion.

She said: “The victim was willing and was not forced into any activity.

“There was no prolonged period of grooming and these were two isolated incidents.”

But sentencing him on Friday, Judge Bright said: “The fact that she was willing is irrelevant.

“You were a member of staff and this was a gross breach of trust.”

He jailed Adams for 21 months for the sexual activity with a child, with five more months for the indecent movies.

Adams must sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and is subject to a 10-year sexual offences prevention order which includes banning him from accessing any pornographic sites and being alone with females aged under 16.

November 2013

Wrexham school teacher’s child abuse images shame

A SCHOOLTEACHER admitted downloading more than 5,500 indecent images and videos of children, describing his life as a “Jekyll and Hyde” existence.

John Bryan Thomas, of Peel Street, Wrexham, said he “played school teacher by day” before fuelling his “addiction” at night.

He pleaded guilty to 11 charges of downloading more than 5,000 indecent images and videos of sexual child abuse and a further charge of possessing 334 images or videos of cartoon child sex abuse, between January 1, 2002, and January 22, 2013, at a hearing at Wrexham Magistrates Court on Friday.

Thomas, 60, who had been living at Tyn Y Celyn Drive, Llangollen, for three years before his arrest in January, was previously a junior and infant school deputy head teacher in Reading, where he worked for 20 years until 2003.

His case was deemed too serious to be sentenced by magistrates and he will instead be sentenced at Mold Crown Court on December 5.

He was also made to sign the Sex Offenders Register in court before being released on conditional bail.

Matthew Ellis, prosecuting, told the court how officers were alerted to suspicious activity at the Llangollen address after explicit images of children were traced by to Thomas’ email address.

BT was able to trace the address and police conducted a search of the property and found a computer containing 3,896 still pictures of sexual child abuse.

Officers questioned why he had been looking at the images to which he responded he had found them “by accident”.

A further search uncovered a laptop which Thomas had hidden under a matress, which contained over 1,600 images and videos of children.

Mr Ellis said Thomas refused to comment in his first interview but made a full admission to the offences at a second interview on October 25.

He told officers he had been a teacher in Reading for 20 years, leaving his post in 2003. At the school he had mostly taught children aged eight to 11, although there were children as young as five being taught there.

In 2002 Thomas bought a computer and said he began researching sexual abuse of children after reading about a case.

He admitted he then became “addicted” to looking at the images.

He said he knew what he was doing was illegal.

On leaving his post in Reading, he spent the next 10 years flying out to Thailand, Vietnam and Canada to teach English in schools and, since 2009, would then return to his Llangollen base.

He was due to fly to Bangkok in April 2013 to complete another term of teaching abroad.

He also admitted to being sent indecent images of children, in some instances only seven-months-old.

Paul Abrahams, defending, said Thomas realised the serious nature of his actions and said his client had told him about the “Jekyll and Hyde” lifestyle he was living.

Mr Abrahams added Thomas completely denied ever using his occupation as a means of accessing or gaining indecent material and he would never have allowed his pupils to become involved.

Roy Dolan, magistrates chairman, said there was significant public interest attributed to the case and he was mindful to send the sentencing to crown court.

Four bail conditions were read out, stating Thomas could not contact anyone under the age of 18, could not own a PC, could not leave the UK, and was only able to reside at the Wrexham address or a friend’s address in Dunfermline, Scotland.

November 2013

Bristol man could face life sentence after historic child rape verdict

A DOWNEND man faces a maximum of life imprisonment after being found guilty of the historical rape of a seven-year-old girl.

Phillip Britton, 62, of Croomes Hill, denied wrongdoing but a jury of seven men and five women unanimously found him guilty after a trial at Bristol Crown Court. Judge Michael Longman ordered him to sign the sex offenders’ register and bailed him for sentence on December 6.

The judge told him: “There is only one type of sentence available. It is simply a question of length and I shall decide that in due course.”

November 2013

Corsham man admits sexually abusing boy

A man who admitted abusing an 11-year-old boy has been ordered to register as a sex offender.

Ashley Glendale appeared at Swindon Crown Court on Friday when he pleaded guilty to sexually touching a child.

The 58-year-old admitted he molested the youngster first in July and then in September, both last year.

Glendale, of Northcroft Road, Corsham, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.

Judge Douglas Field adjourned the case to December 6 to give the probation service time to compile a pre-sentence report and released Glendale on conditional bail.

November 2013

Pervert locked up after US cop posed as 15-year-old online

A man has been jailed in the US after he was caught trying to have sex with a child.

Former landlord Nick Barthram, 36, was caged for one year when he appeared before a judge in Florida.

Sitting at Sarasota County Court, Judge Roberts also ordered Barthram to carry out four years’ probation.

Barthram was among 31 people arrested as part of a police sting in Florida, where he owned a British-themed pub.

Formerly of Reddish, Stockport, he moved to the States a few years ago and owned the King George pub in Sarasota. It is now closed.

Barthram, who was living on Mandez Drive in Sarasota, pleaded guilty to using a computer to seduce, solicit or entice a child to commit sex acts and travelling to seduce, solicit or entice a child to commit sex acts.

He was arrested and charged as part of a sting operation mounted by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s office.

An agent in the Sarasota County Sheriff’s office posed as a girl of 15 during a variety of ‘sexually explicit’ exchanges with suspects on the internet.

They were all arrested when they turned up at what they thought was the girl’s house, according to the sheriff’s office.

An affidavit stated Mr Barthram got in touch on the internet with what he was told was a girl of 15 named Kelly, unaware the girl was in fact an undercover agent.

When he was told the age, he is said to have replied: “I have never been with anyone underage.”

Later the same day, Barthram is said to have travelled to ‘Kelly’s’ house only to be arrested.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s office said that all the suspects had responded to adverts on the internet and engaged in ‘sexually explicit written and verbal communications’.

Sheriff Tom Knight said at the time: “Predators establish contact with kids through chat rooms, instant messaging and discussion boards.

“The anonymity of the internet allows these criminals to seem like caring individuals, but they’re only looking for vulnerable victims.

“Parents, you have to be your child’s protector and monitor what they’re doing online.” It is understood Barthram, who was sentenced in April, has already been released from prison because of the time he served behind bars awaiting court.

November 2013

Businessman jailed for eight years for sexual abusing two children

A court has heard how a paedophile forced his young victim to apply make up to fulfil the fantasies he had seen in indecent child abuse images before sexually abusing her.

Businessman Roger Cartwright, 60, of River Court, Mountain Ash, was jailed for eight years after admitting assault of a child under the age of 13, rape of a child under 13 and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He pleaded guilty to a further count of sexual assault of his second victim who was also under 13-years-old.

Appearing at Swansea Crown Court, Judge Peter Heywood told Cartwright: “These are serious offences. You subjected your victims to a catalogue of abuse that blighted their childhoods.”

Jeremy Jenkins, prosecuting, said the girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had originally made the allegations in 2007 but their relatives had not wanted them to be exposed to a police investigation.

The situation changed when Cartwright was jailed for 12 months at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court in January after admitting 33 offences including making, distributing, publishing and possessing indecent photos of a child and possessing extreme porn.

The court was told 605 images and 160 movies at levels one to four with five being the most serious, were discovered.

Mr Jenkins said Cartwright carried out the abuse separately on the girls at his business UK Signs, on the Aberaman Industrial Estate.

Mr Jenkins told the court how the one girl would be made to strip to her underwear before being forced to engage in mutual sexual activity with Cartwright and he would force her to put on make up.

Mr Jenkins said: “The crown say that the striking feature of this case is that she told the police that before abusing her the defendant made her apply make up.”

He told the court that when the previous court case was being investigated that make up had been found in a drawer at the business premises.

Mr Jenkins said: “She could not have invented that aspect of the allegations…and it is evidence of what she had said and the truth of what she had said.

“The abuse of these two young children and some of the sexual images on his computer was not coincidental.

“The defendant is a man who obtained sexual pleasure from watching such images and was acting out sexual fantasies in the images with the two complainants.”

Andrew Taylor, defending Cartwright, who was born in Church Village, said he was a man not in good health after having surgery for bladder cancer which was being reinvestigated.

Mr Taylor said: “He is in considerable discomfort.

“Everyone in his family has a true sense of revulsion as to what has gone on. In recent years his character and reputation has been very much affected by the fact that he has been convicted by the last set of offences and these offences.”

Cartwright, who is already the subject of a 10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order, will serve half his sentence in jail and will have to sign as a sex offender indefinitely. He is also banned from working with children and vulnerable young adults.

November 2013

Brackenhall man, 49, jailed after he tried to groom schoolgirl with sexual text messages

A man who sent sexually suggestive messages to a schoolgirl on her BlackBerry phone has been jailed for 21 months.

Paul Martin knew the girl was only 15 but on the day concerned in August last year when he was 49, he sent her a number of increasingly serious texts about what he would like to do with her.

Caroline Wigin prosecuting told Leeds Crown Court today the messages led up to him trying to persuade the teenager to have sex with him.

The girl was initially non-committal in replies but became distressed and told a friend what he had said in his messages and that led to police involvement.

Martin, now 50 of Well Grove, Brackenhall , Huddersfield, admitted inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Jailing him Judge Tom Bayliss QC said: “Offences of this type are by nature predatory and serious.”

There was a considerable age gap but over a period of hours he had sent the girl messages which “became increasingly sexual in nature and culminated in requests for sex.”

“You were grooming her, there is no ambiguity about the content.”

The judge said in one Martin told the girl: “You need a man not a boy” and in another offered to buy the condoms.

“All adults have a duty to behave responsibly towards children, why? Because children lack the maturity to stand up to those who would abuse them. You did not behave responsibly, you acted as a predator, you engaged in a course of conduct that exploited her and was calculated to lead to sexual intercourse.”

He told Martin the fact it did not lead anywhere was not because he had a change of heart but because he was “simply frustrated” in his aim.

The judge accepted Martin’s health was poor and that he had not been in trouble before but said there had to be a jail term. He ordered Martin to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Gillian Batts told the court in mitigation for Martin that he had heart problems and asthma which would make prison more difficult for him.

She said there had been no previous concerns about his having any sexual interest in young girls. “I would ask you to treat this as an isolated incident.”

November 2013

Victim of ‘evil’ child rapist describes nightmares she is left with after his depraved attacks

The victim of a child rapist has told how her “evil” attacker forced her to smoke and take drugs from the age of seven, and spoke of the devastating impact his assaults have had on her.

John Paul Lee was jailed for 17 years yesterday for the rape and indecent assault of two young girls, one as young as four.

The 36-year-old, of Lytham Road in Blackpool, was found guilty of nine counts of raping a child and six counts of indecently assaulting a child after repeatedly abusing the girls at an address in Oldham between 2002 and 2008.

After plying the youngsters with drink and drugs, he would force them to watch pornography and perform sex acts on him, as well as raping and indecently assaulting them.

One of the girls was just four when the sickening abuse began, and the other was eight.

Speaking after he was jailed, one of his victims described how Lee had stolen her childhood.

She said: “When I look back to when the abuse was happening to me I realise that I was not a normal child – he made me experiment with drugs and started me smoking at the age of seven.

“I had no childhood. I struggle to sleep. When I wake up in the night I have to turn my light on to make sure no one else is in the room and I have nightmares frequently.

“They are about what he did to me but mainly him making me watch him do things to the other victim. I hear her screaming. I see her crying and I feel helpless that I cannot stop it.”

PC Natalie Eastwood said the two girls had their childhoods snatched away from them “in the most appalling of circumstances.”

She added: “Lee is an evil, depraved man who subjected them both to unimaginable abuse.

“It was heart-wrenching for me to hear what lasting and significant impact the abuse has had on them both physically and psychologically and try as I might I cannot adequately reflect this is words”

She said this made the fact the girls had bravely come forward “all the more remarkable”, and police would ensure abusers like Lee did not get away with their heinous crimes.

Lee was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

November 2013

Maxey pensioner sentenced for groping 14-year-old girl

A pensioner who groped and kissed a teenage girl was spared jail at Lincoln Crown Court.

Dennis Robinson indecently touched his 14-year-old victim over her clothing and kissed her on the lips.

Abigail Joyce, prosecuting, told Lincoln Crown Court that Robinson also made comments about her and pulled her top down.

Miss Joyce said “He told her he wanted to see her when she was 16. He would tell her that he loved her.”

The girl made a complaint against Robinson in August last year which led to his arrest.

Miss Joyce said the girl had been badly affected by what happened and had self-harmed.

Miss Joyce said “She feels her life has been wrecked and she doesn’t have a life any more.”

Robinson, 72, of School Close, Maxey, Peterborough, admitted four charges of sexual activity with a child between March 1 and August 15 last year.

He was given a three-year community order with a condition to attend a sex offenders’ rehabilitation programme. He was placed on the sex offenders’ register for five years and given an indefinite restraining order banning him from contacting the girl.

On Monday, Judge Sean Morris told Robinson: “You are a dirty old man. You have done untold damage to that girl. You should hang your head in shame.”

November 2013

Police find more than 2,000 indecent images on convicted Middlesbrough paedophile’s computer

POLICE found more than 2,000 indecent images of children when they searched a convicted paedophile’s computer.

Teesside Crown Court heard how David Thompson, 53, of Chipchase Road, Middlesbrough, was convicted of making indecent images in 2010.

Since then he has regularly been visited by officers from Cleveland Police’s public protection unit to ensure he is abiding by the terms of his sentence.

When officers visited Thompson’s home in March last year they discovered evidence that he had been searching for indecent images on the internet.

Tests later found he had more than 2,000 illegal photographs of children on his computer.

The majority were graded in the lowest category of seriousness, although a small number were judged to be more explicit.

Robert Mochrie, mitigating, said his client had never tried to down-play his behaviour.

He added: “He recognises that he has a problem with this and moreover he recognises that he would benefit from further intervention.”

Thompson was sentenced to 12 months in prison by Judge Peter Bowers.

November 2013

Mum says Dundee court pressures left victims feeling like the criminals

Dundee Sheriff Court pictured above

A Dundee mum has hit out at justice officials, claiming prosecutors bungled by granting a convicted sex offender his freedom as he awaited trial for attacking a young boy.

The angry mum said 21-year-old sexual predator Connor Tait was granted bail and was free to roam the court building while his 11-year-old victim was “hidden away in witness rooms for hours” to avoid bumping into the pervert before and during his trial.

The woman, whose 11-year-old son was a witness to the attack on his friend, was also critical of the Sheriff Court Service, claiming the two families were being “treated like criminals” as they had to be “sneaked in and out” of fire exits and private rooms while Tait “came and went as he pleased”.

Tait, who had twice previously been convicted of sexual offences against young boys, was eventually remanded in custody during the trial before being unanimously found guilty last Monday of sexually assaulting his victim.

The boys’ ordeal was “doubled” according to Sheriff Richard Davidson by Tait’s denials of his guilt, which resulted in them being forced to give evidence at the court.

The mother of the victim’s friend said she was sickened by their experience in court, saying she felt the Crown had failed the families by not calling the case sooner.

She said: “The timebar (meaning the end of the 110-day period when Tait could legally be held in custody) came up before the trial was started and the Crown applied for an extension, but the sheriff said no, so he had to be bailed.

“I saw in The Courier that another sheriff refused three or four extensions the Crown asked for as well, so they’re obviously putting too many cases to court too late.

“The Crown must have known there was a danger of that happening because there were two other jury trials running at the same time, one of them was predicted to last for three to four weeks.

“We were told the trial was starting, then it was cancelled, then it was on, then it was cancelled again. This went on all week and it wasn’t until the Wednesday afternoon it started.

“These are two young boys, we were having to deal with their schools, telling them they would be in, then they wouldn’t be in, then they would, we were having to arrange days off work, then changing it. It was just ridiculous.

“And we were kept in these rooms for hours on end, having to go to certain toilets and being sneaked in and out of fire escape doors, so they wouldn’t have to bump into the person who attacked him.

“We just felt like we were the criminals instead of him, while he was allowed to wander about like he’s done nothing wrong.”

Last week, Sheriff Tom Hughes accused the Crown office of “loading the courts up” and then asking for timebar extensions, adding: “There is a systemic failure on the part of the Crown to deal with cases in an expeditious manner.”

Solicitor advocate Jim Laverty, president of the Dundee Bar Association, said: “We have witnessed an explosion of solemn prosecutions in the last five years without the appropriate resources put in place to ensure fairness to all interested parties and the proper administration of justice.

“There has been no investment in extra courts or sheriffs or prosecutors to deal with the Government’s next great legislative idea to beat crime — in fact the explosion in prosecutions mirrors the diminution in resources — less procurator fiscals and support staff, soon to be court closures and a reduction in sheriffs.

“The Government and in particular the justice secretary needs to get a grip on this.”

A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “COPFS works closely with the Scottish Court Service to ensure that there is appropriate court time available to deal with criminal business.

“The scheduling of trials is not an exact science and from time to time trials run longer than expected. We understand the concerns of the family and would be happy to meet with them again to discuss any concerns they may have.”

November 2013

Man sexually assaulted boy while he played outside with friend

A 21-year-old who sexually assaulted an 11-year-old boy as he played with his friends outside on a hot summer’s day was jailed on Monday.

A jury at Dundee Sheriff Court found Connor Tait guilty of the attack on July 4 this year.

Tait struck as his innocent victim, picked completely at random, played with a friend on a grassy area in Dundee. He hid in a bush before jumping out, grabbing and sexually touching the boy.

Tait, who has two previous convictions for sexual offences against young boys, was branded “disturbed” by a sheriff.

Tait claimed he had been at home watching Hollyoaks at the time of the offence and denied the charges.That forced the boy and his friend who he had been playing with to come to court and give evidence via video link.

The court heard that at the time he was wearing fake tan, eye liner and earrings and had purple or red hair. When police arrived at his house he was putting on more fake tan. The descriptions given by the boys were described as “very good”, with police immediately going to Tait’s address and arresting him within two hours of the attack.

Fiscal depute Trina Sinclair said: “Tait had walked past the boys and then disappeared from view before he came out of a bush and grabbed the victim from behind.”

Reading a victim impact statement to the court, Miss Sinclair added: “His victim says he is afraid of going out and doesn’t like people walking behind him. He says he has lost his confidence and won’t do outdoor activities he used to enjoy.”

Tait burst into tears and screamed “Dad, Dad” as prison guards handcuffed him and led him away. His father shouted: “You’ll get out on appeal son – this is full of s***.”

The victim’s family, sat a row behind Tait’s father, broke down as he was led to the cells.

Tait, a prisoner at HMP Perth, was convicted after a jury trial of sexually assaulting the boy on July 4 this year. Paul Parker-Smith, defending, said: “He turned 21 during a period of remand in relation to this case. He has been on remand for a total of 120 days. He has previously had community based disposals that were not complied with.”

Sheriff Richard Davidson deferred sentence for reports until next month.He said: “You have put two families through a considerable agony. You are a seriously disturbed young man and before I can properly decide what the right thing to do with you is I need professional reports.

He added: “You may take it from me that in the end you will be separated from the community for a considerable period of time.”

Colin Wallace was sentenced as follows:

1. Committed to prison for 8 weeks, suspended for 12 months
2. Must be supervised by probation service for 12 months
3. To be costs of £85 to CPS
4. To register with police for 7 years
5. 5 year SOPO
6. 5 year ban on all social networking sites

October 2013

Internet paedophile tried to entice a 14 year old girl to meet for sex

A court has heard how a Tweedmouth man tried to entice a young girl into having sex with him after contacting her on the internet

Colin Wallace, 27 pleaded guilty to a charge of inflicting a girl aged between 13 and 15 years old to engage in sexual activity

Wallace approached the girl through facebook after seeing her profile and making a ‘friend request’

After several messages between the two, he asked the girl, who he knew was a schoolgirl to meet for sex

Berwick magistrates were told that the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, then became frightened. She later told police she was, “creeped and confused”

She eventually told her brother, who in turn told their parents, and it was then that the police were involved

Prosecutors said police officers visited Wallace’s flat in Tweedmouth where they seized his computer and mobile phone

The police did not find any other incriminating evidence because Wallace had already deleted his facebook account

The prosecution said, Wallace identified himself on facebook to the girl as ‘Wally’

From the messages which were retrievable and which were read to the court, it transpired he did ask how old the girl was. Her date of birth was also clearly visible on her facebook profile

Wallace asked her if she had ever had sex and said she should come out sometime

November 2013

Girlington man convicted of sexually assaulting girl, 13

A 44-year-old man was today convicted by a jury at Bradford Crown Court of sexually assaulting a girl aged 13.

Mumtaz Khan, of Regency Court,Girlington, Bradford, will be sentenced on November 29 after the preparation of a report from the probation service.

Khan grabbed and groped the teenager when she visited his home on July 9.

Judge Peter Benson told him today: “The court will be considering all options, including sending you to custody.”

Khan’s bail was extended to the next hearing.

November 2013

Serial Blackburn sex abuser jailed

A SERIAL sex abuser walked into a police station and confessed he had repeatedly targeted a young girl, a court heard.

Robert McFarlane, 37, was held in a cell at Greenbank police station until his victim could be traced, Burnley Crown Court was told.

McFarlane was involved in a serious road accident in 2005, which left him seriously ill, and he apologised to the girl, the court was told.

He told her he had become a born-again Christian and wanted to say sorry for what he had done.

But it took him until September 14 this year to admit his crimes to police, when he arrived at the Blackburn police station at 5.45am and spoke to a duty officer on the front desk.

Jailing him for four years and eight months, Judge Beverley Lunt said McFarlane must be punished but had at least shown contrition by confessing to offences which may never have come to light otherwise.

Prosecutor David Bruce said that the defendant was aged 22 when the abuse started.

The sexual contact began with a kiss and gradually became more sinister, the court heard, only ending when she was 14.

McFarlane, formerly of Oak Street and Central Avenue in Oswaldtwistle, but who has been living at Haworth House bail hostel in St Peter’s Street, Blackburn, admitted eight offences of indecent assault and two of sexual activity with a child.

Mark Lamberty, defending, told the court the defendant had four children and was now facing divorce. He was ordered to sign the sex offenders’s register for life.

November 2013

Bugle rapist Steven Crump jailed for 18 years

A BUGLE man who has been jailed for rape and child cruelty has been likened to a notorious Charles Dickens’ character.

Judge Christopher Harvey Clarke, QC, said Steven Crump was similar to the one-eyed, brutal Yorkshire schoolmaster Wackford Squeers from the author’s famous novel Nicholas Nickleby.

Crump, 38, was appearing for sentence at Truro Crown Court yesterday morning after being found guilty of all 13 charges he faced.

The court previously heard that Crump, of Fore Street, made a school girl pregnant when he raped her and then accused her of being a murderer when she had an abortion.

He told her that if she told anyone about what he was doing, her mother would hate her and she would be taken into care.

Crump went on trial last Wednesday at Truro Crown Court accused of seven counts of rape and two of indecently assaulting the girl when she was aged under 16 between 1998 and 2002.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court that he raped her on countless occasions during that time.

Crump, who denied the charges, faced a further charge of indecent assault on another young teenage girl and two charges of wilful assault and one of wilful ill-treatment of another child.

After a short deliberation, the jury of eight women and three men found him guilty on all charges.

Rupert Taylor, defending, said that his client still does not accept the offences and urged the judge to send him to jail for as short a time as possible.

He said: “We invite your honour to impose a sentence that will not extinguish all hope for this man.

“He will have to be in custody for a long time. He understands that. He does not accept these offences.”

Judge Clark said: “Your callous treatment of [one of the victims] is reminiscent of the worst and most brutal kind of Victorian schoolmaster.”

Llewellyn Sellick, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said during the trial that the victim of the alleged rapes became pregnant.

He said: “He started to say he wanted to make her pregnant … she did indeed become pregnant. He bought two pregnancy tests.”

The girl told her mother but said that a boy from school was the father, making up a name and she underwent and abortion.

Mr Sellick said: “Beforehand the defendant told her she was a murderer; she was murdering his child and was telling her to keep the baby.”

Sentencing Judge Clarke added: “You told her mother that she was a slut for getting herself pregnant. Your disgusting hypocrisy on that issue is almost unbelievable … She has no confidence in sexual matters. She has become emotionally hard and reserved as a result of what you did to her.”

He jailed Crump for 15 years on each count of rape, and three years for each of the other charges, to a total of 18 years in prison.