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Michael Beaumont – Hoyland/Barnsley

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December 2013

Kadan Beaumont murder: Father jailed for life

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A father who claimed the family dog caused fatal injuries to his 11-month-old son has been jailed for life for his murder.

A Sheffield Crown Court, Michael Beaumont, 29, was ordered to serve a minimum term of 18 years after being convicted of Kadan’s killing.

Kadan’s mother, teaching assistant Helen Barnes, 28, was given a six-month suspended jail sentence for neglect.

The court heard Beaumont claimed his son was knocked over by their pet, Mia.

During the trial the jury was told how emergency services were called to the family home on 28 September 2011, following reports Kadan had been unwell after being knocked over by Mia the day before.

‘Shocking case of violence’

He was taken to hospital where he later died.

Pathologists found 34 different injuries on Kadan’s body and said he died as a result of a heavy impact to his head.

Prosecutors said Beaumont, of Chapel Street, Hoyland, near Barnsley, made up the story to disguise the injuries.

Kadan’s mother, of the same address, was cleared of the charge of causing or allowing the death of the child.

Det Ch Insp Sean Middleton, who led the investigation, said it was a “shocking case of violence from a parent”.

He added: “By blaming the family dog, Beaumont attempted to cover his horrific actions, but the evidence surrounding the cause of Kadan’s death, provided by expert pathologists, was overwhelming.”

who was giving evidence at Beaumont’s trial, said she had called at his home after her friend Kay Cunliffe rang her to say she was concerned about the child.

Ms Laver went to the gate at the bottom of Beaumont’s garden in Chapel Street, Hoyland, Barnsley.

She shouted to gain his attention and Beaumont came out holding the child in his arms.

She could see Kadan had bruises to his head as well as under his eyes, and that his lip was split.

She said: “It looked as though he had been beaten up by Mike Tyson.

“ I told Mikey to get him seen at the hospital.

“If it were my child I would have taken him to hospital straight away.”

Ms Laver asked Beaumont what had happened to Kadan, and he claimed that the dog had knocked him over in the garden near the trampoline and he had banged his head.

The child was not taken to hospital.

He died the next day from massive head injuries which, the prosecution says, were caused just hours before his death.

Ms Laver said that, on another occasion, she had seen Beaumont as he ‘slammed’ Kadan down onto a concrete floor in her kitchen.

When she asked why he did it she said Beaumont replied that he was stressed and added: “He has to learn.”


Jamie Reynolds – Wellington/Telford

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December 2013

Jamie Reynolds was today given a whole life sentence for the murder of Telford teenager Georgia Williams

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A 23-YEAR-OLD man has been given life means life in prison after sexually abusing and hanging a teenage girl after he lured her to his home.

Jamie Reynolds was deemed a “sexual deviant” by the judge as he sentenced the killer at Stafford Crown Court.

Reynolds had admitted to murdering 17-year-old Georgia Williams after his sadistic sexual plan.

He then hanged the girl and drove her body to north Wales where he dumped it in the woodland.

Mr Justice Wilkie told the court when sentencing that Reynolds “had the potential to progressing to become a serial killer”.

Reynolds was arrested in Glasgow following a manhunt on May 29 after Georgia’s body was found in secluded woodland near Wrexham.

The sickening plot schemed by evil murderer Reynolds happened in May earlier this year when Georgia agreed to attend a photo-shoot at Reynold’s house when his parents were away on holiday.

Prosecutor David Crigman QC told the court how pervert Reynolds had followed the script of one of his 40 short graphic short stories which involved fatal sexual assaults on a woman.

It was said he had written a gruesome story on his mobile phone entitled “Georgia Williams in Surprise”.

Here the story shows the 17-year-old dying after a sex game where she was a willing participant.

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That part, Mr Crigman said, could not have been further from the truth.

Mr Crigman said Reynolds carried out a “scripted, sadistic and sexually-motivated murder”.

After hanging Georgia, he took photographs of her naked corpse in different parts of the house.

Mr Crigman said there was a possibility that he had had sexual and anal intercourse with her corpse.

When arrested in May, Reynolds was found with 16,800 images and 72 videos of extreme pornography on the hard drive of his computer.

He had added ropes to the necks of up to eight personalised pictures of women he knew.

Stafford Crown Court also heard Reynolds lured other young women to his home before the murder and tried to strangle one of them.

Georgia’s father Steve Williams, a detective constable with West Mercia police, said at the sentence hearing: “I am absolutely heartbroken, each day I cry endlessly from morning to night.

“Georgia’s life was needlessly and selflessly taken away from her all for several moments of evil self gratification.”

November 2013

Georgia Williams murder: man pleads guilty

A 23-year-old man has admitted murdering a 17-year-old police detective’s daughter who went missing after telling her parents she was off to stay with friends.

Jamie Reynolds, 23, a shop worker, had initially denied killing Georgia Williams but changed his plea on Monday as his trial was about to begin at Stafford crown court.

During the brief hearing, it emerged that Reynolds took images of Georgia, a former head girl, before and after he killed her. Police also found that he had an interest in extreme pornography and had taken images of “innocent” girls from social network sites and “corrupted” them.

Mr Justice Wilkie said he would consider if Reynolds should face a full life term in prison. The court also heard that a 200-page psychiatric report had been prepared on Reynolds, who kept his head bowed throughout.

Reynolds and Georgia, who wanted to become a paramedic in the RAF, were acquaintances but were not romantically involved. One theory police looked at was that Reynolds had persuaded Georgia to do some modelling for him.

A nationwide police hunt was launched in May after Georgia was reported missing having left the family home in Wellington, Shropshire, saying she was going to see friends.

Three days after she vanished, Reynolds, also from Wellington, was arrested at a budget hotel in Scotland. He had driven there in a van owned by a relative but there was no sign of Georgia.

Police asked other forces and members of the public to contact them with any sightings of the vehicle – or Georgia – between Shropshire and Scotland.

But two days later Georgia’s body was found in woodland near the Nant-y-Garth pass on the A525 between Wrexham and Ruthin in north Wales, around 50 miles from her home.

Georgia’s family released a statement on Monday, saying: “The pain we feel is as raw now as it was when our beautiful daughter was taken from us.

“We will never ever be able to make any sense of what happened or why it happened to a young woman as caring, kind and generous as our Georgia.

“Today’s guilty plea gives us no satisfaction at all; we do not and will never understand the heartbreaking events of earlier this year that changed our lives forever.”

Police confirmed Georgia was murdered at Reynolds’ home in Avondale Road, Wellington, on the day she vanished.

Superintendent Adrian McGee, one of the senior investigating officers, said: “The Williams family has been incredibly dignified and understanding and I cannot praise them highly enough.

“This was a hugely challenging and unusual case for the police officers and staff involved.”

The Telford and Wrekin commander, Superintendent Nav Malik, said the fact that Georgia’s father was a police detective made the case even more difficult than usual for the force.

“We are liaising closely with Georgia’s family, who are devastated,” he said. “This has proved particularly challenging given that Georgia’s father is a police officer here. Whenever someone from the police family is involved it is particularly distressing.”

Georgia was last seen alive on Sunday 26 May. She had her mobile phone with her when she left her home at 7.30pm but the last calls and text messages were sent from the device just half an hour later. Her disappearance was described by family and police as being “completely out of character”.

On Wednesday 29 May Reynolds was arrested in Glasgow. Police asked the public to report any sightings of the van, which they believed had been driven from Wellington to Glasgow via Rhyl in north Wales, Chester, and Kendal in the Lake District.

There were also extensive appeals from Georgia’s friends on social media sites for information about her disappearance, and on Friday 31 May, hours before it emerged that her body had been found, many of them took to the streets of Shropshire to drop leaflets and put up posters.

Katy Lafferty, Georgia’s best friend, said at the time that the last time they had spoken the teenager appeared her normal self. She said: “I last spoke to her on Saturday and she was just the same as she’s always been. It is heartbreaking. I cannot ever imagine that this would happen but for us to be able to do something about it is good.”

Georgia’s family paid tribute to the teenager, calling her a “gorgeous tomboy”.

In statements issued by the police in June her father, Steve Williams, and his wife, Lynette, said: “We always describe her as a gorgeous tomboy, someone who is much happier dressed up in her Air Cadets uniform rather than dressed in glamorous clothes ready to go out.”

Referring to glamorous images of her and talk of her wanting to be a model, they said: “The modelling she has done was to help her sister’s business and the Facebook reference to her being a ‘wannabe model’ is a tongue-in-cheek joke between her and Scarlett [her sister] relating to this modelling.”

They said she had wanted to join the RAF and had been researching qualifications that would allow her to become a paramedic. “She was most put out when she discovered she couldn’t join the RAF Regiment, the arm of the RAF of her choice, as they do not admit women and therefore she decided that training as a paramedic is her way of getting to the frontline.

“Georgia is into everything and we couldn’t be prouder of everything she has achieved. We are blessed to have her in our lives and the happiness she brings will remain with us forever.”

Scarlett added: “Georgia is the best little sister you could ever wish for, although it’s fair to say we can annoy each other on a daily basis. We are like chalk and cheese. We always joke that I am pink and she is blue because we are into such different things. As children I was into ballet while all she wanted to do was go off with the Air Cadets and do outdoor stuff.”

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John McBurney – Aberdeen

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December 2013

Pervert who preyed on schoolgirl locked up

Pervert who preyed on schoolgirl locked up

A SERIAL pervert who preyed on a schoolgirl over the internet has been locked up for two years.

John McBurney pleaded guilty at Aberdeen Sheriff Court to acting in a lewd, libidinous and indecent manner towards the girl.

McBurney, 47, used sexually explicit language towards her and carried out a sex act on himself over a webcam.

The offences took place between January 1 and August 30, 2010, at an address in Aberdeen.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard McBurney has two previous convictions for similar offences

Defence agent Iain McGregor said McBurney’s sentence for a previous offence was not due to expire until March 15 next year.

The solicitor said said it was his client’s intention to seek help after he is released from jail.

Sheriff Annella Cowan jailed McBurney, whose address was given at Aberdeen Sheriff Court as Marina Gardens, 9 Martins Court, Fishponds, for two years with an extended sentence of a year after his release.

The prison term will begin at the end of McBurney’s current sentence in March next year.

Norman Pender – Hawick

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December 2013

Ex-Scotland rugby player Norman Pender guilty of sex abuse of children

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A former Scottish rugby international from the Borders has been found guilty of sexually abusing two young girls in the 1980s and 1990s.

Norman Pender, 65, of Hawick, carried out the offences at various addresses in the town over an 11-year period.

A jury at the High Court in Edinburgh also found him guilty of three charges of lewd and libidinous behaviour.

A verdict of not proven was returned on an allegation that he repeatedly raped one of the women.

The court heard how Pender, who was capped for his country in the 1970s, preyed on the women between April 1986 and October 1997.

One of his victims – who cannot be identified for legal reasons – told the court that the abuse started when she was eight years old and continued until she was 19.

He started abusing his second victim in January 1996 when she was aged just nine – it continued until she was 11.

The court heard Pender – a former councillor with Scottish Borders Council – was a first offender. Defence solicitor, advocate Iain Paterson, asked judge Lord Stewart to continue his client’s bail.

He said he wanted to spend time with his sick wife and his mother, who is in her 90s.

However, Lord Stewart refused and remanded Pender in custody saying it would not be in the interests of justice for him to remain at liberty.

He deferred sentence to next month in order for the court to obtain character reports and warned that jail time would be a “probable” outcome.

“I am going to revoke bail,” the judge said. “You have been convicted of some very serious offences.”

Pender had denied all the charges against him.

He was placed on the sex offenders register and will be sentenced at the High Court in Paisley next month.

Steven Martin – Cumbernauld/Alloa

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December 2013

Football coach jailed for sex offences against young boys’

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A former football coach and school janitor has been jailed for committing sex offences against three young boys.

Steven Martin, 54, of Millcroft Road, Cumbernauld, was told by a sheriff his actions were “shocking and disgraceful”.

Martin committed the crimes at his then home in Pine Grove in Alloa in 1988 and 1989 when the boys were aged between 11 and 13.

Sheriff William Gallacher jailed Martin for 15 months at Falkirk Sheriff Court.

The court heard that Martin ran a youth club and was coach at a boys’ football club.

He preyed on his young victims when they stayed overnight at his flat.

Sheriff Gallacher told him: “You have pled guilty to two charges which are extremely serious.

“They involve the abuse of trust by you in a shocking and disgraceful way.”

The court was told that Martin had been jailed in 2008 for committing similar offences against an eight-year-old and an 11-year-old boy.

Sheriff Gallacher told him: “You have already reported two charges of a similar nature and I have to take account of that.

“I must seek to do justice for everyone involved.”

In addition to the jail term, Sheriff Gallacher ordered Martin to be subject to a seven month supervision order after his release, during which time he will be monitored by social workers, and placed him on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

Referring to the 2008 case, Sheriff Gallacher added: “Had the four charges all been together, with the gravity, the ages of the boys, the position of trust and gross abuse of that, and the circumstances in which that occurred, you would have received a greater sentence.”

Andrew Malcolm – Coventry

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December 2013

Coventry man jailed for series of sex attacks against two young girls

A Coventry man has been jailed for a series of sex attacks against two young girls.

Andrew Malcolm, 49, appeared recently at the crown court in Leamington, to be sentenced.

In August Malcolm, who used to live in Walsgrave and Bell Green, admitted four separate charges.

He was jailed for 13 years and six months for the rape of a female child under 13 and received concurrent two year sentences for sexually assaulting a female child under 13 and two counts of sexual activity with a child aged under 16.

The judge ordered that five other counts, including rape and sexual assault of a female child under 13, and three more counts of sexual activity with a child aged under 16, will lie on file.

Malcolm was given a sexual offences prevention order and was ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Graham Pare – Catterick/Manchester

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December 2013

Catterick child rapist locked up for nine years

A MAN who raped a child was locked up for nine years after being told by a judge that he will probably have scarred the youngster for life.

Graham Pare attacked the child in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire,Teesside Crown Court was told.

Despite apparently confessing to the rape when he was challenged on Facebook, Pare denied it when arrested.

The 26-year-old, from Manchester, was convicted by a jury following a retrial last month, and returned to court today (Thursday, December 19) to learn his fate.

Judge Peter Bowers told him: “From the statements I have read, it has had a profound psychological effect on the youngster.

“All I can hope is that with time and help, some of those wounds will heal.”

Pare was also ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for life.

His barrister, Jamie Hamilton, told Judge Bowers: “There was no gratuitous violence in this case.

“There was no evidence of any violence or threats afterwards in order to hide the offending.”

The court heard that Pare, of Cranesbill Close, Manchester, had previous convictions for battery – once against a girlfriend.

Stephen Collins – Alnwick

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December 2013

Man guilty of gross indecency with child

An Alnwick man has admitted nine counts of gross indecency with a child and pleaded not guilty to a further two charges.

Stephen Collins, 56, of The Cordwainers, was due to stand trial at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday, but changed his plea at the last minute.

He pleaded guilty to seven counts of gross indecency with a child under the age of 14 and two counts of gross indecency with a child under the age of 16.

Collins denied two further counts of gross indecency with a child under the age of 14.

The offences date from between 1999 and 2003 and relate to one male victim.

Joe Hedworth, defending Collins, said that his client had seen a mental-health team shortly before he appeared in the dock on Monday and had seen a psychologist in 2003 for anxiety and depression.

He added that Collins had health problems and was told that his client probably only had a short length of time left to live.

The case has been adjourned until the week commencing Monday, January 27, for a pre-sentence report. Judge John Evans also ordered a medical report and said Collins may need a supplementary mental-health report. He described the charges as ‘serious matters’.

Collins is on bail and subject to the Sex Offenders’ Register.

The prosecution will offer no evidence for the not-guilty pleas.


Leonard Treacher – Grimsby

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October 2008

Disabled sex offender’s wish granted for new cell

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A GRIMSBY sex offender – who was jailed for a series of offences including raping and sexually assaulting two young girls – has won his fight to be moved into a specially-adapted cell.

Leonard Treacher (52) – who is now almost blind and wheelchair-bound – told London’s High Court that he had been forced to live in inhumane conditions before they agreed to transfer him to his third prison in two years.

Treacher, formerly of Winchester Avenue, was convicted of a string of sex crimes and jailed for eight years at Grimsby Crown Court in July, 2006.

He has since been registered blind, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and had two strokes, leaving him only able to eat soft foods and with muscle weakness down his right-hand side.

As reported, in July, his disabilities prompted a top judge to order a nationwide search for a cell suitable for him.

At the time of this appeal, one of his victims told the Telegraph: “A death sentence would have been too sparing for what he did to me, I think he’s a monster.

“It’s laughable to think that after what he did, he is trying to make people feel sorry for him.”

She added: “Why should he have any human rights? He took away my innocence and my right to have a childhood.

“This is an example of everything that is wrong with this country – tax payers suffer while he tries to get everything he can.”

He was originally sent to HMP Hull in 2006, but was put in a standard cell, due to shortages in adapted disabled quarters.

He was also initially not supplied with an electric wheelchair and complained that this treatment was a violation of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Treacher launched a legal bid to force the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, to move him to a special cell.

He was then provided with new accommodation and an electric wheelchair at Whatton Prison, Nottingham.

In July he demanded to be moved again, after complaining that this cell was inhumane, because it required him to use a commode and empty it into the same sink where he washed.

Mr Justice Blake ordered the Government to search the whole of England and Wales to find suitable accommodation for Treacher and, as a result, he is now at HMP Wymott.

His case returned to the High Court on Monday where lawyers for both sides agreed, after lengthy negotiations, that his specially-adapted disabled cell should be fitted with a mattress inclinater and that alternative adjustments to the bed would also be investigated.

At the time, two Grimsby women, scarred for life after being raped and sexually abused by him as children, said they were outraged that his request was even being considered. One said: “Why should he have any human rights? He took away my innocence and my right to have a childhood.”

Raymond Brown – Howden-le-Wear/Bishop Auckland

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December 2013

Remorseless County Durham pervert who “robbed girl of childhood” jailed for 15 years

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A REMORSELESS paedophile was last night (Thursday) starting a 15-year jail sentence for a campaign of abuse and bullying against a girl decades ago.

Raymond Brown, now 58, was told by a judge that he had robbed his victim of her childhood and harmed her in the most “grossly serious way”.

The balding pervert, from Howden-le-Wear, County Durham, showed no emotion as he was locked up at Teesside Crown Court yesterday.

Judge Peter Armstrong told him: “You still deny these matters, minimise your part and have shown no remorse at all for what you did.

“I have read the victim impact statement and the effect on her has been devastating . . . it is no wonder she has had to have counselling.”

Brown was a heavy-drinking security guard living in the Bishop Auckland area when the abuse was carried out, a jury heard in a trial last month. 

Prosecutor Richard Bennett said that he warned the terrified girl that her mother would be jailed if she ever reported what he was doing to her.

At one point, the victim did tell her family of her ordeal, but it seems she was not believed and the matter was never reported to the police.

She eventually came forward this year, and Brown was found guilty of rape, four charges of sexual assault, and four of sexual activity with a child.

His barrister, David Lamb, told Judge Armstrong: “Mitigation, of course, is extremely limited in the circumstances of this case.

“The defendant who stands before you is a very different person to the man who behaved in the appalling way the Crown suggest in the late-1970s.

“He had lived, on the face of it, a law-abiding lifestyle for a significant period of time. He was a young man at the time of these offences.

“He is likely to be an old man by the time he is released and we suggest that the court can be confident that this behaviour will not be repeated.

“His wife, who stood by him throughout this trial, attended court with him every day. He can be grateful she has decided to stand by him.”

Brown, who was ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for life, was told by the judge that the Parole Board will sanction his release.

“My sentencing remarks and the pre-sentence report will be available to them,” he said. “They will take into account the complete lack of remorse.”

Carl Londesborough – Scunthorpe

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October 2008

Paedophile admits to child abuse images

A PAEDOPHILE who was caught with more than 1,600 indecent pictures of children on his computer, has ‘a significant history’ of sex offending.

Carl Londesborough (36), of Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, yesterday admitted a total of six charges relating to child pornography at Grimsby Crown Court.

These comprised five counts of making indecent photographs of children and one offence of possessing child pornography.

The offences were committed between May 5 and June 6 and involved 1,626 pornographic images of children.

Recorder Julian Goose QC noted the vast majority of the images were at the lowest level. But, he pointed out, 62 were in a much more serious category, involving children having full sex with adults.

He told Londesborough: “You have a significant history of sex offences. This is the sort of case where the court will inevitably look at imposing a custodial sentence. The court will only have in mind, it seems to me, a custodial sentence.”

Robert Bates – Pontypool

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April 2009

Pontypool man jailed for double rape

A PONTYPOOL man was jailed for 10 years after raping two girls, both in their late teens, at a party while they were sleeping.

Newport Crown Court heard yesterday how Robert Bates, 47, of Long Owl Barn, Coed-y-Paen, raped the teenagers when they were asleep after a party last year.

A jury had found Bates guilty of both charges of rape during the trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

Tracey Lloyd-Nesling, defending, said Bates’ actions were fortuitous rather than planned and is at low risk of re-convicting.

She said the girls suffered no physical injuries.

Judge Michael Burr told the court yesterday how the one girl was asleep in bed when Bates entered the bed and raped her.

He said Bates committed two “serious” offences in a very short space of time as Bates then left the room and went back upstairs where the other girl was also raped.

Judge Burr said: “You took advantage of that situation. You should never have behaved as you did.”

He said: “It’s impossible at this stage to know precisely what effects this sort of behaviour will have on your victims.”

Bates will serve five of the 10 years in prison and must sign the sex offenders register.

He was also disqualified from ever working with children for an indefinite period.

Jason Watts – Northampton/Semilong

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December 2013

Paedophile who abducted and raped 10 year old girl jailed 

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A predatory paedophile who abducted a 10-year-old girl and then raped her, demonstrated an “inconceivable level of evil,” a judge has said.

Jason Watts, who is a father himself, snatched the girl while she was playing with friends near their home in Northampton on August 29, in an incident described as “every parent’s worst nightmare.”

He then took her to a house in Arundel Street, Semilong, where he punched her in the face, restrained her by putting his hand over her mouth, threatened to strangle her and then raped her. The ordeal lasted at least two and a half hours.

Earlier the same day, Watts, aged 32, had groomed the victim and her brother by giving the boy a chocolate egg, before returning in the afternoon to snatch the girl.

Some of the evidence heard in Northampton Crown Court yesterday was too distressing to report, and caused members of the victim’s family to leave the public gallery in tears.

Watts, dressed scruffily with a long, unkempt beard, sat in the dock flanked by five security guards. He showed no emotion at any stage of the hearing, where he was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of seven years and two months.

He had previously admitted charges of kidnapping and rape at the same court on November 8, despite claiming to have no memory of the attack.

The court heard the attack happened in a house of multiple occupancy, owned by the drug, alcohol and homelessness support charity CAN, and only stopped when another resident disturbed Watts.

Describing the attack, prosecuting barrister, Matthew Lowe, said: “He started counting to five and then he punched her in the face, causing her head to hit a wall. He pulled her hair to stop her leaving the house.

“He told her to shut up or he would strangle her. It was a deliberate precursor to what was about to happen.”

Mr Lowe had previously outlined the events of the day leading up to the rape.

He said: “This case is every parent and child’s worst nightmare.

“Throughout the majority of the day, the victim and her siblings were outside playing, and their mother was frequently checking up on them.

“In the morning, the victim and her brother were approached by this defendant and he brought her brother a Kinder egg.

“In the afternoon, at about 2.45pm, the mother became aware that her daughter had disappeared. Panic understandably ensued and the police were called.

“The victim was eventually found in Grafton Street, with the defendant, who was arrested. When the victim was told she was safe, she started to cry.”

The court heard Watts smelt of alcohol when he was arrested, refused to co-operate with DNA tests and gave no response to any questions put to him by police.

He has 20 previous convictions for offences including violence, dishonesty and possession of Class A drugs.

Matthew Kirk, mitigating, said: “Not quite the only mitigation, but close to it, is his plea of guilty.

“He has emphasised the shame he feels for what he has done and expresses his shame and remorse to the court.”

Sentencing Watts, Judge Michael Fowler said: “These offences are horrific in themselves, but committed on a child of 10, demonstrate an inconceivable level of evil.

“That you have a child yourself makes it even more inconceivable. There was grooming of the victim and her brother as they played in a park near their home. You were clearly observing them.

“You took her some distance before you detained and raped her. You claim to have no recollection of the day and I find that hard to believe.

“The victim impact statement makes for harrowing reading, and the long-term consequences must remain open to speculation.”

Judge Fowler also praised the “dignity” of the victim’s family, who were present in the public gallery throughout the hearing. They have since moved out of the address.

The end of the minimum term is the first possible point of the sentence when Watts can be considered for parole. He will not be released if he is still considered to be a risk to the public.

He will be on the Sex Offender’s Register for life and has been banned from any contact with children aged under 16.

Bryan Thornhill – South Godstone

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December 2013

Fetish club owner jailed for sexual offences

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A MAN who ran a fetish club and possessed extreme pornographic images of his pet dog will spend Christmas behind bars.

Bryan Thornhill, of Lagham Road, South Godstone, was convicted of a series of sexual offences following a trial at Guildford Crown Court in November.

A jury found him unanimously guilty of 11 charges; five concerning sexual activity in the presence of a child and six concerning the possession of extreme pornographic images – some involving his dog.

The 59-year-old, who runs North Downs Pony Club – an adults-only erotic group which offers “safe, sane and consensual adult pony play” – was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment and signed to the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years today (Friday).

Douglas McArthur – Millport

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December 2013

Millport Pipe Major guilty of sex assault on teen

Not for Photosales

Douglas McArthur who led Millport Pipe Band has been found guilty after a trial of sexually assaulting a teenage female member

The pipe major of Millport Pipe Band has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a female drummer.

Douglas McArthur assaulted the girl in his car at Cumbrae Slip after he had given her a run to the 10.30pm ferry following a band fund-raising event.

McArthur, 47, of Copeland Crescent, Millport, who is also watch commander of the retained fire brigade on the island, had denied touching the teenager on the breast and putting his hand under her kilt.

However, he was found guilty after a trial at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Friday and placed on the sex offenders’ register with immediate effect.

The public benches were cleared for the victim to give evidence, but she broke down in tears soon after taking the witness stand and Sheriff Iona McDonald allowed her a few minutes to compose herself before resuming.

In response to questions from Depute Fiscal Claire McEvinney, the girl, who was 16 at the time of the assault, told the court that McArthur – whom she looked on as a father figure – usually gave her a run to the ferry after band events on the island.

On the night in question, August 16, she said she was alone in the car with

McArthur and she described details of the assault.

She said: “When he put his hand up my kilt and felt my shorts he said I was cheating.”

Afterwards, when she was leaving the car to board the ferry, she said McArthur gave her a hug and kissed her on the cheek.

She told Ms McEvinney: “I got on well with him but was shocked. I was getting a lift to the ferry from him every week. Normally he would hug and kiss me goodbye but nothing like that had happened before.

“When I got home I tried not to show any reaction to my family. I was feeling scared, shocked and embarrassed.”

After the assault she stopped going to the band for about three weeks, then eventually returned for a time.

She told the court she had told her best friend, as well as the Drum Sergeant of the pipe band, George Lynch, who “basically guessed what had happened before I told him.”

The girl’s mother told the court it was almost two months before her daughter had told her about the assault. But beforehand, she had noticed a change in the girl’s behaviour. Her daughter, who normally had a bubbly personality, was spending a lot of time in her room and not socialising with other members of the family.

The mother told the court she was very upset and surprised because she didn’t think McArthur would do that.

“I went to see him on 19 October. I wanted to hear what he had to say about it. At first he seemed surprised then he admitted it and said he had made a mistake.

He said his hand may have slipped down her bra. He said it was 15 seconds he wished had never happened.“He said my daughter had been over friendly towards him and had been leading him on but he read the signs wrong.

“I was shocked and betrayed by him because he was my friend and I didn’t think he would do that to myself or my daughter. I know she wouldn’t lead him on.”


Paramveer Jagdev – Earley

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December 2013

 jailed after posing as boy to abuse girls

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A man who posed as a 16-year-old boy online to groom two girls before attacking one of them has been jailed.

Paramveer Singh Jagdev, 25, of Earley, Berkshire, was sentenced to four years in prison for sexual activity with a child at Winchester Crown Court.

He was also given two years for grooming and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He was found guilty of the offences against the 13-year-olds, from Wiltshire, on 1 November.

His sentences will run concurrently.

‘Bombarded with messages’

Wiltshire Police said that in January 2012, Jagdev had contacted the girls via an internet chat room.

A spokesman said the 25-year-old had initially pretended to be a 16-year-old boy and had used a false identity with bogus photos to try and prevent himself from being traced.

Over a few weeks, he groomed the girls online and “bombarded them with text messages and phone calls” before eventually persuading them to meet him.

Jagdev committed a sexual offence against one of the girls whilst visiting the pair, and then threatened both with violence when they told him to leave them alone.

Wiltshire Police’s DC Paula Clissold said Jagdev had “preyed on two young vulnerable girls”.

“He was fully aware of their age and targeted them for this reason,” she said.

“We strongly believe that this man presents a high risk to children and the fact that he has received a prison sentence and been placed on the sex offenders register for life will help to prevent offences in the future.”

Christopher Johnston – Forfar

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December 2013

Prison term for Forfar sex offender

An Angus man has been sentenced to 18 months in jail after admitting lewd and libidinous behaviour towards a girl under 16.

Christopher Johnston will also remain on licence for three years and on the sex offenders register for a decade after admitting possession of 348 inappropriate images and video files of children at an address in Forfar.

The town’s sheriff court heard Sheriff Kevin Veal describe former accountancy bookkeeper Johnston’s case as a “sudden and spectacularly public fall from grace.”

The 38-year-old father of five admitted downloading pseudo images between January 2005 and July last year, contrary to section 52 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982.

Of these, only two images were of the most severe level. However, nine of the 14 videos were at the top level of seriousness.

Defence agent Michael Boyd said Johnston was looking after the child when the offence of lewd and libidinous behaviour occurred.

“He has freely admitted the breach of trust … and he had confirmed his attraction to children of this particular age,” said Mr Boyd.

“We have an individual who has had potential to carry out further offences, but he hasn’t done so, as he knew that would be wrong.”

Mr Boyd added his client had sought help through B4U-ACT, a website set up to help those who feel attracted to minors.

However, Sheriff Veal said Johnston’s age at the time of the offences, from 30 to 37 years old, led him to consider the lewd activity as “very serious.”

He imposed several conditions after Johnston’s release, including not approaching the female, or accessing the internet.

Nathan Allen – Aberdeen

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December 2013

Aberdeen baby attack man ‘avoids jail’

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A man convicted of attacking and injuring a newborn baby in Aberdeen has avoided a jail sentence.

Nathan Allen, 21, was earlier convicted of assaulting the three-week-old girl.

The infant suffered a brain haemorrhage, a broken ankle and bruising in November last year.

At Aberdeen Sheriff Court, Allen was put on a three-year supervision order and ordered to carry out 280 hours of unpaid work in the community.

NSPCC Scotland said it believed Allen should have gone to prison.

Sheriff Annella Cowan said she had given the case a lot of thought and her initial reaction was to send him to jail.

She said: “Your behaviour was unpardonable.”

Allen had denied harming the child and claimed she had been injured as a result of an accident.

However, a jury convicted him of endangering the child’s life by assaulting her.

Sheriff Cowan said she was concerned about Allen’s attitude, and that he appeared to be more concerned about what would happen to him than anything else.

She said: “In one view that makes you an extremely dangerous person.”

‘Defenceless baby’

Defence lawyer Neil McRobert said a psychological report previously ordered by the court had noted that Allen was immature for his age.

He said his client had a good employment record and had started working as a joiner with his grandfather’s firm when he left school and was now working for an agency.

Matt Forde, head of NSPCC Scotland, said: “We believe the defendant in this case should have gone to prison as there was a high level of culpability which should have been reflected in the sentence.

“This was a horrible catalogue of injuries inflicted on a defenceless baby and could have had very serious implications.

“There is no place in society for this kind of callous treatment.”

Gordon Reid – Edinburgh

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June 2010

Pervert gets six years for attacks on boys at Capital flat in the 1980s

A MAN who sexually assaulted three young boys at an Edinburgh flat has been jailed for six years.

Gordon Reid preyed on the children during a campaign of abuse that spanned almost eight years in the 1980s.

The 45-year-old appeared at the High Court in Glasgow after earlier being convicted of four charges of acting in a lewd and libidinous manner.

Judge Lady Dorrian yesterday told him: “In passing sentence I take in account that these were committed a number of years ago and you have not offended in any relevant way since.” 

However, she added: “These are very serious offences on three young boys at a young age.”

A trial at the High Court in Falkirk had heard how the boys were aged just six when the abuse began.

Reid, of West Pilton View, Edinburgh, was also alleged to have abused another boy who was aged between five and seven at the time.

He was also said to have asked a teenage boy to perform a sex act in return for a hi-fi stereo, but he was acquitted of both allegations.

Police first became involved after one of Reid’s victims confronted him about the abuse at his home two years ago.

Phillip Evans – Selly Oak/Birmingham

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December 2013

Teacher who filmed pupils with spy cameras jailed

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A teacher who secretly recorded himself sexually assaulting children in his care has been jailed.

Philip Evans, 38, committed the “disgusting” offences while also secretly capturing dozens of indecent images of pupils using changing rooms at one of the country’s leading private schools.

Birmingham Crown Court heard Evans, who hid one of several cameras inside an electrical box, was arrested in August after an indecent photograph of a sleeping boy was found during a dawn raid on his home.

Follow-up inquiries uncovered around 350,000 indecent images on computers belonging to Evans, including more than 100 recordings of pupils using changing rooms and a storage area at King Edward’s School in Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Some of the footage, found on a laptop and a desktop computer, showed the teacher committing sexual assaults as he pretended to measure seven teenage pupils.

Evans, of Warwards Lane, Stirchley, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to six counts of voyeurism, seven of sexual assault, and nine charges relating to indecent images.

Opening the facts of the offences, prosecutor Aliya Rashid said recording equipment, including a hi-tech security camera imported from America, had been used to film boys in various states of undress.

Evans, who acted as an RAF “leader” in the Combined Cadet Force at the school, captured some of the images on a camera he attached to a bench inside a shower block during a school trip.

Miss Rashid told the court: “The offending spanned four years and much of it was executed with covert recordings set up meticulously for the defendant’s own sexual gratification.”

On one occasion, Evans entered a shower area at 4am to set up equipment and could be seen testing that it was working, said Miss Rashid.

Passing sentence, Judge Peter Carr described the offences – except one committed at Evans’ home – as a gross breach of trust.

As Evans remained composed in the dock, Judge Carr told him: “All of this behaviour by you was repulsive, disgusting and deceitful.

“Parents of pupils and pupils themselves should expect a school is a safe environment. You have made this environment unsafe.”

The judge acknowledged that Evans’ career was over and his reputation in ruins, but said it was “obvious” from the material recovered that the offences were carried out over a prolonged period of time.

Speaking after the case, Detective Chief Inspector Chris Hanson, head of the Child Online Safeguarding Team at West Midlands Police, said: “This was a distressing and incredibly complex case to investigate.

“Our absolute priority throughout all of it was protecting children at the school.

“Evans, who has no previous convictions, had amassed 350,000 indecent images of children over four years and my team had the deeply disturbing job of analysing those sickening images in a bid to identify the boys who had been abused, where the crimes took place and when.”

Evans, who is known to have visited nudist camps before being arrested, is not thought to have distributed images captured at the school to other paedophiles.

Mr Hanson added: “Philip Evans is a cold, calculating and manipulative paedophile who went to great lengths to secure indecent images of children.

“He abused his position as a teacher and as a cadet leader, and grossly betrayed the trust boys in his care placed in him.

“I am satisfied with the sentenced passed by the courts today and I believe it will go some way to help the children he abused.”

King Edward’s, a fee-paying independent school, was founded in 1552 by Edward VI and boasts two Nobel Prize winners among its former pupils.

In a statement issued after Evans pleaded guilty last month, the school said it was shocked and saddened by the charges and was co-operating fully with the police.

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