March 2016

A man who encouraged a “vulnerable” young girl to expose herself over her webcam after they met on an internet forum has been jailed for two years.

Keith Wapshott will also will have to register as a sex offender for a decade as punishment for his crimes carried out 12 years ago, a judge has ruled.

Wapshott met a 13-year-old girl from Shropshire, who cannot be named for legal reasons, via an online forum aimed at supporting people contemplating self-harm, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard.

Mr Stephen Thomas, prosecuting, said they swapped messages for a year.

He said: “Over the course of that time the defendant talked and comforted her about the various issues she had and pretended to be a friend of hers while all the time he had sexual motives.”

The court was told he persuaded her to expose herself to him over her webcam on a number of occasions.

Mr Thomas said 52-year-old Wapshott did not have a webcam but he sent her lewd pictures of himself.

The court heard that years later the girl realised the significance of what had happened. She looked him up on the internet, found he had a daughter and decided to go to the police.

He told police he had gone to the forum because he had been suffering from mental health issues and wanted to help other people. Mr Thomas said it had led to this “grooming behaviour” but that he had made no attempts to hide who he was.

Wapshott, of Logan Way in Livingston, West Lothian, admitted causing a child to engage in sexual activity in 2004 and 2005.

Mr Keith Thomas, for Wapshott, said there had been no physical contact.

He said: “He got on to this website because of the difficulties in his life. He had lost both of his parents shortly before. This had caused him great upset and distress.”

Handing Wapshott a two year jail sentence, Judge Robin Onions said he had been dealing with a “vulnerable” child and acted for his own sexual gratification.

He said he could not suspend the sentence, adding: “The message has to go out that those who behave as you do with young victims are likely to lose their liberty.”

He was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register and Judge Onions also made a sexual harm prevention order, both of which will last for 10 years.

Wapshott will be forbidden from working with children indefinitely.

March 2016

Sex predator jailed for six years after attack

A police chief has welcomed the sentencing of a ‘dangerous sexual predator who targeted and preyed on his young victims’ as he was jailed for six years.

Anthony Ridsdale, from Hipperholme, was locked up after he attacked a teenage girl within days of being given bail over other sexual allegations.

He was described as being “in a complete rage” when he dragged his 18-year-old victim into a wooded area in Halifax.

Detective Inspector David Shaw of Calderdale Safeguarding said: “I hope the sentence brings some comfort and closure to the victims and their families who have shown great bravery and courage throughout the investigation and trial.

“Ridsdale is a dangerous sexual predator who targeted and preyed on his young victims, and such is the danger he is considered to pose that he will also spend the rest of his life on the Sex Offenders Register.

“We would always encourage victims of sexual assaults to come forward and reassure them that all incidents will be taken seriously, dealt with sensitively and that we will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.”

At the time of the rape in June last year Ridsdale, who was then 19, was already on bail after being questioned by police about allegations of sexual abuse made by another teenage girl.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Ridsdale, of Tennyson Place, Hipperholme, had denied any involvement in the other matters, but it was less than a fortnight later that he raped the teenager, who cannot identified for legal reasons.

Prosecutor Gerald Hendron told the court how Ridsdale put his hand over the teenager’s mouth to stop her screaming and ignored her pleas for him to get off.

In her victim impact statement she described how she had now been left “looking over her shoulder” and found it very difficult to trust people.

The complainant said she had also suffered sleep problems and nightmares after the attack.

Ridsdale, now 20, pleaded guilty last year to the rape charge and he also admitted a series of other offences relating to sexual activity with two other teenage girls shortly before the attack in Halifax.

Judge Jonathan Rose concluded that Ridsdale was a dangerous offender and he imposed an extended licence period of four years which will take effect once he is released from custody. Ridsdale will now have to register as a sex offended for life with the police and he will be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order which restricts any unsupervised contact with under 16s.

Judge Rose said he was “deeply troubled” by Ridsdale’s case and satisfied that he posed a significant risk to young women.

The judge said the rape attack was wicked and deeply unpleasant and the victim had been targeted by Ridsdale.

Judge Rose noted that Ridsdale had used “hurtful words” towards his victim after the rape and had also threatened to do it again if she told anyone about it. “This was a wicked act against a vulnerable child,” the judge told Ridsdale, who showed no emotion as the six-year sentence in a young offenders institution was handed down

March 2016

Father & son caught with indecent images of children

A father and son are facing jail after the police searched their home to find a huge stash of animated child abuse images and a vile video game.

Yuen Ho Ng, 30, downloaded more than 500 “hentai” images of minors and a game, translated as ‘The mystery of the underage girl’, in which the user rapes children.

Hentai is an animated Japanese form of pornography.

Appearing at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court on Friday, Ng junior, who now lives in Laburnum Road, Strood with his father, admitted possessing the prohibited material.

Prosecutor Sarah Worsley told magistrates how, acting on intelligence, police searched the home of his 60-year-old father Eric Wai Keung Ng in Coltsfoot Drive, Grove Green, in May.

They seized hard drives belonging to Ng senior and found more than 7,000 indecent images of minors which had been downloaded over five years. He also had four movies of women having sex with dogs.

The material ranged in severity between categories A, at the highest end of the scale, and C. Ng senior told officers he had obtained it by searching for ‘pre-teen’ and ‘hardcore’.

When questioned he insisted he did not know by downloading the images he was sharing them with other people but as a result of doing so he was charged with seven counts of making indecent images of children.

He was also charged with possessing bestiality films and admitted all the offences.

During the same search police also found Ng junior’s illegal material.

The court heard in his case there are no sentencing guidelines as only six people have been convicted of the offence in the UK, with an appeal against an 18-month jail term thrown out last year. As the images were animated they are not indecent but are classed as prohibited.

Both defendants were released on conditional bail not to have sole use of any technology with access to the internet with the exception of gaming consoles, not to use mobile phones unless provided by their employers and not to have unsupervised contact with children.

They will next appear at Maidstone Crown Court pending pre-sentence reports.

March 2016

Teaching assistant who sent boy picture of sex toy ‘enjoyed the attention’

A teaching assistant who offered to perform a sex act on a teenager and sent him a picture of a sex toy has appeared in court.

Donna Brant, 37, of Kentons Lane, Windsor, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual activity with a male aged 13-17, for explicit texts she exchanged with a boy in 2015.

Brant, who worked as a teaching assistant at The Windsor Boys’ School, was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Friday.

The court heard how she exchanged ‘explicit’ texts with the boy and ‘enjoyed the attention’.

In the three weeks that followed the court heard 2,500 text messages were exchanged between the two.

The messages did not stop until a family member of the teenager, ‘concerned about a change in his behaviour’, accessed his phone and saw some of the messages.

Prosecuting, Rebecca Austin, said the messages ‘became very explicit very quickly’.

“Jokingly or otherwise, she [Brant] made reference to the fact that if they [her employer] found out, she would go to prison,” she said.

“On one occasion she said she would perform a sex act on the boy if he told her he loved her.

“Whilst it was clear that the messages were instigated by the boy, they are encouraged by Brant. She did that because she enjoyed the attention.

The court heard Brant asked the boy to send proof that he was masturbating and he sent a picture by Snapchat.

The court was also told she sent him a picture of a dildo when ‘their discussion turned to what sex toys she had in her draw’.

Ed Butler, defending, said she had ‘enjoyed the attention’ but added it would be hard to see how the text messages ‘could have given anybody sexual arousal’.

He said: “It really is impossible to overstate the extent to which she has already suffered for this very serious, but not sinister lapse of judgement.”

He added that at the time of the offence Brant was living at her parents’ house with her family while her house underwent renovations and her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

“If your honour can hopefully understand just how difficult that must have been,” Mr Butler added.

Sentencing Brant, Judge Alexia Durran said: “You accepted that you had sent the message and you said that they were flirty and joking, and you denied pertaining any sexual gratification.

“I have read some of the messages and it is clear some of them are of an explicit nature.”

She also said the victim has been ‘left feeling out of place and paranoid’ since the offence.

Brant was given an 18-month community order with a 15-day rehab requirement and 180 hours unpaid work.

She was also ordered to pay £85 in costs and an application has been made to put her on the sex offenders register.

March 2016

Pensioner jailed for multiple rapes & sex assaults of children

A 66-year-old Wearside man is facing the prospect of dying in prison after he was jailed for 20 years for the multiple rape and sexual assault of two children.

Thomas Allison systematically abused a girl and a boy, Teesside Crown Court heard.

In a heart-rending victim impact statement read to the court, the girl – now an adult – described how Allison had stolen her childhood and ruined her life.

“Every morning I wake up and for a split second things are all right,” she said. “Then it all comes back to me.

“Some days I cannot look in the mirror or leave the house. It wasn’t just one day what he did to me, he stole my life.”

The boy victim added: “I am angry, distrustful and I don’t like socialising.

“I’m sure he made me this way. I am wary of using a public toilet, and won’t do so if anyone else is in there.

“What he did to me was wrong, and it makes me feel sick.”

The court heard Allison raped the girl in his car and in other locations.

He took the boy to an empty house where he attempted to rape him.

Allison’s offences came to light years later when one of his victims confided in a friend.

Allison, of York Crescent, Hetton, denied all the offences alleged against him.

He was convicted by a jury after a trial lasting three weeks of four charges of rape, attempted rape, three charges of assault by penetration, and seven charges of sexual assault.

The jury acquitted him of 11 charges of sexual assault, allegedly against four other children.

Robin Denny, defending, said in mitigation: “I cannot go behind the jury’s verdicts.

“Mr Allison is not a well man, having been diagnosed with cancer. My understanding is that is currently under control.”

Jailing Allison for 20 years, Judge Stephen Ashurst told him: “To say you stole the childhoods of your victims is something of an understatement.

“What you did to them was vile and disgusting, it was wicked behaviour.”

Allison must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life

March 2016

Married man downloaded child child abuse images & exchanged them in chat rooms

LOGISTICS worker Kenneth Jones has admitted downloading more than 100 indecent images of children – some as young as five years old – and sharing the material online.

The married 64-year-old would use internet chat rooms to contact other people, often posing as a female, and would then exchange the graphic photos.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard how he also emailed two videos of children being sexually abused.

Police called at Jones’s home in Westacre, Bucknall, on November 11 to quiz him about the allegations. But his wife told them he was at work at Asda’s distribution centre, based at Lymedale industrial park in Newcastle.

Officers went there and arrested Jones, who confessed to gaining sexual gratification from viewing the indecent images.

David Bennett, prosecuting, said: “He was attracted to girls aged 12 or 13, although he had viewed images of younger children.”

Jones did not have an internet connection at his home, but would use his mobile phone to access the images online.

Following his arrest, police seized the phone and analysed it.

They found he had sent two ‘moving images’ from his email account, which were classed as ‘category A’, the most serious level.

An email storage area also revealed a further seven images, mostly of category A.

On the phone itself, there were 15 category A images, nine category B images, and 86 category C images, with a further seven lower level images on the phone’s memory.

Jones pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photos of children between May 31 and November 12. He also admitted two counts of distributing images on November 8.

Jason Holt, mitigating, said his client has been candid about his problems and is now receiving help from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

He told the court: “His wife stands by him and supports him, although it has been an ordeal for her to come to terms with his behaviour.

“He has had to retire early and has brought shame on his family.

“Their address of 30 years has also been attacked, with paint daubed on the front. They are now considering moving.”

Sentencing him to a three-year community order, Recorder Sally Hancox stressed it was not a soft option.

She said: “I want to look to your rehabilitation as well as your wrongdoing.”

As part of the sentence, Jones will have to attend a sex offenders programme.

He has also been made subject to a sexual harm protection order for the next five years.

March 2016

Man guilty over child abuse images

A 74-year-old Sandford man admitted to 13 counts of possessing child abuse images this week, with more than 2,600 pictures found on his computer.

Clifford Blacker, of Hapil Close, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing the indecent images – totalling 2,646, including 524 in the most serious category – as well as another 12 in relation to uploading individual indecent pictures of children.

North Somerset Courthouse heard how police tracked Blacker’s IP address when they were contacted in April 2015, after he uploaded a number of photos to an online file-sharing website.

Paul Ricketts, prosecuting, told the court on Thursday: “Work was carried out by the police to locate the IP address, which led them to Mr Blacker at his home address in Sandford.

“On April 24 last year, police attended his address. When they arrived, Mr Blacker said he knew why they were there, that there were a lot of images on the computer and that he had been a ‘prat’.

“Most of the images are not category A images, but they make up a significant proportion.”

Overall, 524 of the images were category A, 439 were category B, and 1683 were category C – the least serious legally.

During a police interview following his arrest, Blacker admitted he had been downloading indecent images for two years.

He was unrepresented during the hearing, at his own request, but when magistrates asked if he had anything to say, he replied: “I’m utterly ashamed.”

Magistrates at the courthouse ruled they did not have sufficient powers to sentence Blacker, as they would only be able to hand down a six-month prison term, and viewed the offences worthy of at least a year’s jail time.

Instead, he will now be sentenced by judges at Bristol Crown Court on April 7.

March 2016

Fire chief jailed over child sex abuse shame

A senior Leighton Buzzard firefighter who had sex with an underage girl over a year-long period has been sentenced to three years in jail.

Paul Ayers, 46, committed the offences while working as a crew commander at Leighton Buzzard Fire Station.

It was a spectacular fall from grace for the officer, who has now been made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

Between July 2013 and August 2014 Ayers incited the underage teenager to engage in sexual activity.

Ayers, of Yew Tree Court, North Street, also made a large number of indecent images and videos of a child.

Ayers was found to be in possession of 11 pictures and eight videos which come under the most serious level.

Between November 2012 and March 2014 Ayers was also involved in online discussions over the distribution of pornographic images.

Ayers was charged last October and appeared at Luton Magistrates Court the following month.

He pleaded guilty to all offences on December 8 and has now been sentenced at Luton Crown Court.

March 2016

Man jailed after inviting girls to his flat and molesting one of them

A 40-YEAR-old man whose brother was jailed last month for possessing over 230,000 “disturbing and graphic” images of child abuse will now join him in prison after being convicted of molesting a schoolgirl.

Michael Haw, of Blandford Road North in Beacon Hill, Poole invited young teenagers into his home to take drugs before touching one of the girls inappropriately

He provided the youngsters with a “perceived sanctuary”, a court heard.

However, he was arrested after molesting one of the girls.

After he was released on police bail, Haw sent a Snapchat message to two of the witnesses that made them feel “frightened”, it was said.

The defendant was convicted of sexual activity with a child and two counts of witness intimidation following a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.

He was found not guilty of a number of other sexual offences also involving teenagers.

Haw returned to the court to be sentenced on Friday, March 11.

Judge Brian Forster QC said that the drugs formed the “background” of the case, rather than being offered by the defendant deliberately in order to touch the girl.

The judge told Haw: “You encouraged young people to go to your home and you encouraged them by making drugs available for their use.

“A number of young people went to your home and were able to take drugs. You took advantage of their presence by making inappropriate sexual comments.”

While on bail, Haw sent a Snapchat of a photograph of himself with the caption, ‘Mmmm. What to do. LOL’ to two witnesses.

He had denied that the message was threatening.

However, Judge Forster said: “The purpose of sending the image was to frighten the victims.

“I have to keep in mind their young age.”

Haw was sentenced to a total of 14 months in prison for the offences.

He will also have to register as a sex offender with a notification requirement for seven years.

Profile of conviction for his brother here

HMA v PAUL MICHAEL BARRETT

At the High Court in Edinburgh Lord Pentland sentenced Paul Barrett of Cannich to five years and four months in prison after he pled guilty to sexual assault and rape of a child.

On sentencing Lord Pentland made the following statement in court:

“Paul Michael Barratt, you pled guilty to an indictment served under section 76 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 containing a single charge libelling various forms of sexually abusive conduct amounting to offences contrary to sections 18, 19 and 20 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009. 

In short, your conduct constituted rape of a young child, sexual penetration of that child and sexual assault on her. The child concerned was aged 9 years. 

This appalling sexual abuse took place on a significant number of occasions (the exact frequency cannot be established) over a period of about 10 months. 

Matters are made even worse by the fact that you told the child many times not to say anything about what you did or you would go to prison. 

You even reinforced that message to the child after your initial police interview. 

To impose such a burden on a child of 9 was cruel, manipulative and devious.

I take account of the submissions in mitigation and of the contents of the social work report.

It is clear to me that the court must take an extremely serious view of your persistent abuse of this young and vulnerable girl, extending as it did to penetrative abuse on a significant number of occasions. 

Society has an abhorrence of the sexual abuse of children and it is part of the responsibilities of the court to reflect that disgust in sentencing offenders. 

The court must also seek to deter others who might be disposed to take advantage of vulnerable children for the purposes of their own sexual gratification.

Had you not pled guilty, I would have sentenced you to 8 years imprisonment. 

I accept that your early plea had utilitarian advantages in that your victim did not require to testify and a full prosecution and trial were avoided. 

In the exercise of the discretion vested in me and in line with current sentencing practice, I shall reduce the sentence to one of imprisonment for 5 years and 4 months.

The sentence will be backdated to 5 September 2013.

You will be subject to the notification requirements prescribed by the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for the remainder of your life.  Your name will be added to the list of persons deemed unfit to work with children or other vulnerable groups”.

November 2015

Pervert was seen performing a sex act in window of house

PERVERT Gary Stedman was seen by members of the public performing a sex act – just weeks after being released from prison for a similar offence.

The 45-year-old – who has previous convictions for indecent assault, exposure and harassment – stood by an upstairs window performing the act for around 10 minutes with the light on.

Now Stedman has been handed a three-year community order in a bid to rehabilitate him.

Prosecutor Sally Hancox told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court the defendant was living in Nash Peake Street, Tunstall, when the incident took place at 11.30pm on August 20.

Ms Hancox said witnesses called the police after spotting Stedman.

Officers arrived after midnight and also saw the defendant perform the act.

Ms Hancox said: “They saw the bed appeared to have been moved to allow him to stand in the window.”

In his police interview, the defendant said he was having difficulty controlling his sexual urges as he had not been taking his medication which act as a suppression to the urges.

He agreed he had performed the sex act on himself for about 10 minutes and that he had been in the front bedroom with the light on.

He said he intended to put himself in the window to fulfil his urges and to increase the risk of being seen.

He said it was to seek attention.

The defendant added if he had seen others were watching he would have stopped.

Stedman, of Nash Peake Street, Tunstall, pleaded guilty to exposure.

Kevin Mortlock, mitigating, said the defendant did not leave his house to commit the offence.

Mr Mortlock said: “He did not expect so many people were able to view him.

“He is now taking his medication again.

“He is subject to a care plan and he is working with the authorities who will monitor him carefully.”

Judge David Fletcher sentenced Stedman to a three-year community order with a community sex offenders’ programme.

The defendant was also ordered to pay a £180 criminal court charge.

His previous conviction for indecent assault involved him going into a neighbour’s flat in 2003 and touching her bottom while she was asleep. He told police he just wanted to say ‘hello’ because he really liked her and was jailed for 21 months.

Judge Fletcher said: “Some action needs to be taken to try to prevent you committing this type of offending behaviour again. You did perform the sex act.

“The aggravating features are your previous convictions and the short period of time between your release from prison and this offence.

“There is available a very, very intensive community order of the maximum length.”

He added: “If you breach the order you will go to prison.”

December 1993

Pervert walks free from court after conviction for indecent assaulting young girl

Photo of Bosley is recent

A man has walked free from court after he was found guilty of indecently assaulting a young girl multiple times.

John Bosley, 37 of Bury St Edmunds appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court and was found guilty of:

• Two counts of indecent assault on a female child

The attacks took place in Lakenheath, when the child was just 4-years-old and the abuse was repeated over an 18-month period

The judge gave Bosley a probation order that would last for two years.

He was also told he must register as a sex offender

March 2016

Man jailed for grooming schoolgirl for sex

A man has been jailed for inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

George Andrew Doughty (14/08/1971) of Camrose Gardens, Bolton was sentenced yesterday, Monday 14 March 2016, at Bolton Crown Court to 3 years in prison, given a sexual harm prevention order for 5 years and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

He had pleaded guilty to inciting a child to engage in sexual activity at an earlier hearing.

In the summer of 2013, Doughty began sending messages that were sexual in nature to a 14-year-old girl through social media.

He asked her inappropriate questions on a number of occasions before he encouraged her to go on Skype to speak to him. When the victim agreed, he tried to convince her to engage in sexual activity on webcam.

The victim immediately ended the call before Doughty messaged her apologising.

She later confided in a family member about what had happened and the police were called.

March 2016

Pensioner jailed for sex attacks on young children in Lincoln

A pensioner faces the rest of his days in prison after he was on Tuesday, March 15 given a 15 year jail sentence for a series of sex attacks on two young children.

Arthur Baddiley, 85, carried out the attacks over 20 years ago but the offences only came to light when one of his victims revealed what had happened to him during counselling sessions.

Baddiley sat in the dock with his heads in his hands as Judge John Pini QC told him: “Your behaviour was wicked and depraved beyond belief.

“Your evidence was repugnant. You are essentially consumed with self regard and oblivious of the impact of your conduct on others.

“There has been a total absence of remorse by you.

“You are now 85 and it may very well be that you will end your life behind bars. If that should happen it is the inevitable consequence of the fact that you have evaded justice for most of your adult life.”

Baddiley, 84, of Conway Drive, North Hykeham, denied eight charges of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 13.

He also denied four charges of gross indecency on a child under 13. He was convicted of all 12 charges following a trial in front of a jury.

Baddiley had earlier admitted two charges of gross indecency on the same boy.

The offences took place on dates between 1986 and 1994 at a number of addresses including North Hykeham and Waddington.

Jonathan Straw, prosecuting, told Lincoln Crown Court that the lives of the two victims were completely ruined by the abuse they suffered from Baddiley.

During the trial Baddiley claimed the two children were lying and denied committing the offences he was accused of.

March 2016

Child rapist beat grandmother-of-4 to death ‘causing 100 injuries’ – then claimed she had fallen in shower

A child rapist has been jailed for life after beating his partner to death and then claiming she had fallen in the shower.

Gran-of-four Ann-Marie Cropper, 47, was found dead at a flat in Southport in the early hours of Thursday, September 10 last year.

Ian Gordon, 52, denied her brutal murder in a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, despite admitting manslaughter.

But five days into proceedings – after the jury heard doctors found 100 injuries on his victim – Gordon finally confessed.

It can now be revealed that Gordon was locked up for 13 years in May 1998 for raping a child under 13.

Judge Clement Goldstone, QC, said Gordon repeatedly assaulted and threatened to disfigure and kill Ms Cropper in the months prior to her death

He said: “You caused her untold physical and mental suffering as a result of your ever-increasing violence, culminating in a sustained and ferocious attack.

“Your campaign of violence towards her was compounded by threats of further violence.

“You threatened to kill her which was bad enough, but also displayed an element of warped sadism and sheer cruelty.”

Nigel Power, QC, prosecuting, said paramedics attended the couple’s flat at 4.45am, when Gordon gave a “lying” account that Ms Cropper had fallen.

He said he went to ask a neighbour called Phillip Minshull for help, who called an ambulance and performed CPR.

Mr Minshull later told police that Gordon said to him “you’ll back me up, that she slipped in the shower”.

The pair begun a relationship in the summer of 2015, after she become an alcoholic following the break-up of her marriage.

Her eldest daughter Tara Andrew was concerned about her mum and rang police numerous times.

She saw Ms Cropper “badly bruised to the face, arms and legs” and with bite marks to her ears.

Tara took her mum to hospital on September 4, where she recounted a “history of violence”.

Ms Cropper spoke to a doctor, who recorded: “Alleged assault ongoing over last month by her boyfriend.

“Physical abuse with punches to her head, and body and feared for her life. ‘He said he would kill me’. Used knife once.”

Ms Cropper told her middle daughter Rebecca Andrew that Gordon flushed her phone down the toilet so she couldn’t seek help.

She also said he “stabbed her to the arms and legs with a fork” – leaving the cutlery embedded in her flesh.

However, she declined to report the attacks to police, saying she still loved him.

Ms Cropper told her son Lee Tinsley that Gordon assaulted and sexually abused her.

Mr Power said: “She also told him that her colostomy bag, which she was using for pre-existing medical needs, had been cut by the defendant, so she would soil herself.”

A post-mortem examination found she suffered a serious blow to her head, before dying half an hour later.

Gordon inflicted blows to her head, neck, chest, abdomen, back, torso, arms, legs and genitals.

Mr Tinsley told the court the siblings were left battling depression and sleepless nights following the death of the devoted grandmother.

He said: “I keep replaying in my head my mum’s last breath and what was happening to her.

“Due to what Gordon has done, we as a family all feel a mutual hatred towards him.

“We hope losing his freedom impacts his life as much as it has us by losing our mum.”

John McDermott, QC, defending, admitted his client made “grotesque sexual threats” to Ms Cropper while drunk, but said he had not carried these out.

He said Gordon was also an alcoholic, who was drinking around 10 cans of 9% strength lager a day at the time, and now expressed “deep remorse”.

Judge Goldstone said Gordon locked vulnerable Ms Cropper in his flat and made threats “the likes of which, this court has rarely if ever heard before”.

The Recorder of Liverpool said: “In the early hours of that morning Ann-Marie Cropper at last summoned up the courage to tell you it was over and she was going to the police.

“It was that realisation that led you to behave as you did, inflicting upon her the savage beating from which she died.

“In truth you cared not one iota whether she lived or died. I don’t suppose after what she had been through at your hands, she cared much either.”

After the sentencing Ms Cropper’s family paid tribute to her saying: ““The family of Ann-Marie Cropper would like her to be remembered as a happy, go lucky person.

“She was a loving daughter, sister, mother, grandmother and auntie who tried to never let life bring her down. We have lost a big part of our family.

“Throughout the trial and hearing what Ian Gordon put her through has been absolutely heart-breaking and will be for some time to come.

“She meant nothing to him, but meant everything to us.

“She will be forever missed.”

March 2016

Member of notorious paedophile network has jail term cut

A man who was part of a notorious Scottish paedophile ring has had his 17-year jail term reduced on appeal.

John Milligan was jailed along with seven other men in 2009 for conspiring to commit sexual offences against a child and possessing and distributing indecent photos of children.

The 47-year-old from Govan, Glasgow, received 10 years for the conspiracy charge and seven years for the images.

Appeal judges have now decided to cut the 10-year sentence to seven years.

Milligan, a former civil servant, previously appealed unsuccessfully against the prison sentence imposed on him following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

His case was referred back to appeal judges by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, which looks into alleged miscarriages of justice.

Following the appeal hearing, the Lord Justice General, Lord Carloway, sitting with Lord Bracadale and Lady Clark, quashed the 10-year sentence and imposed a seven year term.

The decision followed the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh substituting a more limited conviction against Milligan over the conspiracy charge.

Lord Carloway said that what Milligan remained convicted on was “still significant” and added: “As the trial judge has reported the appellant was a central player in the conspiracy.”

For more on the paedophile ring – click this link 

And from November 2011 – Abuse ringleader James Rennie has minimum sentence cut

March 2016

Paedophile jailed for child sex offences

An Orpington paedophile has been jailed for four years for child sex offences.

Michael Quinn, 53, of Saltwood Close, Orpington was sentenced for three counts of sexual activity with a child,  two counts of sexual assault on a child and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. 

The charges relate to three victims.

He will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order was issued against him.

He was sentenced on March 10 at Croydon Crown Court.

March 2016

Paedophile soldier is behind bars after carrying out series of sex attacks on nine year old girl

A SOLDIER is behind bars after he admitted to a series of sex attacks on a nine-year-old girl.

Bombardier Riaan Hardy preyed on the child for more than two months in 2009.

The 35-year-old was only snared last year after a mother asked her daughter – now a teenager – why she was self-harming and the truth came out.

Hardy, based at RM Condor in Arbroath, yesterday admitted using lewd and libidinous behaviour towards the girl.

The squaddie looked ashen-faced as he was remanded in custody for sentencing next month.

The abuse happened at a house in Arbroath. It also involved Hardy making the child watch pornography.

Frances Connor, defending, said Hardy had an “unblemished” military record, with tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He asked for bail.

But judge Lord Kinclaven told Hardy: “You are convicted of a serious sexual offence against a child. You will be remanded in custody.”

March 2016

Man who sexually abused two young girls jailed for 14 years

Norman Herbert, 59, of Mount Ambrose, near Redruth, was found guilty of three counts of the sexual touching of a girl under the age of 13 by majority verdicts following a trial at Truro Crown Court last month,

The offences took place in Redruth between 2004 and 2006. Neither victim can be named for legal reasons.

The court was shown video footage of the girls’ police interviews in which one said of Herbert’s behaviour leading to the crimes: “He was a bit weird and it was really strange.

“At first I was very confused as you don’t really understand what was happening at that age.”

The police were contacted by relatives in 2007 and 2011, but the girls were unwilling to speak. In 2014 they wrote down what they remembered from the incidents.

The court also heard the offences had knock-on effects on the victims.

March 2016

JAILED: Pervert found with nearly 10,000 child images

Indecent images featuring children as young as five or six were found on computer equipment belonging to a 41-year-old man, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Police forced entry into the flat of Henrique Silva on December 10, 2014.

They confiscated a computer tower, a tablet and a hard drive from the address before taking his mobile phone when he reported to a police station, said Mr Stuart Clarkson, prosecuting.

Analysis of the devices revealed a total of 9779 indecent still images and 89 movies with 720 of the overall total being classified in the worst category of pornography, the court was told.

Silva from Beaconview Road, West Bromwich admitted 18 charges relating to the possession of indecent images and extreme pornography.

He was jailed for eight months, put on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years.