November 2013

Man walks free from court for possessing ”erotic poses” of children photos

A COMPUTER expert who admitted downloading more than 1,000 images of kids in “erotic poses” walked free from court yesterday with a three-year probation order. 

Judge David Smyth told Dominic Ijichi, from Derryboy Road in Crossgar, Co Down, that while the images were assessed as the least serious category, “that does not mean this is not a significant offence”. 

The 39-year-old had pleaded guilty to 24 sample offences of making indecent images of children on dates between December 31, 2006 and May 2 last year. 

Downpatrick Crown Court heard the charges related to 1,403 images which amounted to kids in “erotic poses”. 

Ijichi was also ordered to remain on the sex offenders register for seven years. 

November 2012

Jail for pensioner who abused children over 40-year period

A CHILD molester from Enniskillen who targeted children, for over four decades, acknowledged exposing himself and sexually assaulting his victims with the comment, “It’s not like anyone was raped or murdered.”

John James O’Rourke, of Hillview Park, who is 74-years-old, also described the older offences as being, “past their sell by date”.

He was sentenced to three years in prison when he appeared before Dungannnon Crown Court.

However, he will serve half of the sentence in custody before being released to spend 18 months on licence.

He was also ordered to participate in a Sex Offenders Programme.

The pensioner was put on the Sex Offenders Register for 20 years, which Judge Geoffrey Miller QC said would in effect be the rest of O’Rourke’s life.

O’Rourke reign of terrorising children was finally stopped in September last year when a young schoolgirl reported that he kissed and touched her inappropriately and exposed himself while attempting to pull her hand towards him.

Three other victims made allegations dating back to 1969 when he was 31-years-old.

On that occasion he also exposed himself to a girl of eight and incited her to touch him. The third child was between five and nine years of age when O’Rourke, in his forties, carried out an act of gross indecency towards her.

He also molested a 17-year-old girl and made sexual remarks to her on a number of occasions when he was in his mid-fifties, around 1996-1997.

The pensioner denied all the charges agaisnt him when he was originally arraigned at Omagh Crown Court in May this year.

It was not until a jury was sworn in and the case ready to go to trial that he applied to be re-arraigned and admitted all charges.

Judge Miller described O’Rourke’s attitude to his offending as “alarming”.

The judge said, “He showed no sign of any contrition and indeed he affected an attitude so far as the older offences were concerned whereby he feigned a lack of memory about the incident”.

Regarding the preparation of the pre-sentence report, the Judge added, “This court views his observation that ‘it’s not like anyone was raped or murdered’ and that the older offences were ‘past their sell by date’ as being indicative of an attitude of denial and lack of appreciation of the seriousness of the offending, that gives cause for considerable concern and disquiet.”

The judge also stated that he read impact reports from three of O’Rourke’s victims and, while not disclosing their contents, was “satisfied to a greater or lesser degree they suffered mental trauma as a direct result of the defendant’s actions.”

Judge Miller added that he hoped the conclusion of the court proceedings “will bring some measure of closure to each complainant.”

In his judgement, he outlined “worrying aspects” arising from the pensioner’s offending.

These, he said, included the protracted period of the offending which was in excess of 40 years which extended over several different victims.

He added that the defendant is a “real source of risk”.

However he also took into account O’Rourke’s age, his willingness to work with relevant agencies and that he will be kept under supervision after his release, when determining the sentence.

Judge Miller determined that the offences taken as individual acts fall at the “lower end of sexual offending” as the girls were touched over their clothing.

However, he added, “This should not be taken as in any sense diminishing the effect and impact upon the defendant’s victims…”

O’Rourke received a number of six month and 18 month sentences as well as the three year term, with 18 months on licence.

As the sentences were imposed to run concurrently, he will be due for release after 18 months

January 2014

Jail for sex attacker who raped two schoolgirls

A rapist who attacked two school girls in Peterborough has been jailed for 12 years.

Stewart Urban, (39), of Goffsmill, Bretton, attacked the girls in 2011 after moving to the city.

He raped the girls, aged 14 and 15, in his car after befriending them.

He denied two counts of rape but was convicted following a trial.

He was jailed for a total of 12 years at Peterborough Crown Court last month.

Detective Sergeant Amerjit Singh from the force’s Public Protection Unit, said: “Urban abused the girls in the most horrific and traumatic way.

“He is an extremely manipulative offender, who has shown no remorse for his crimes. In fact, he continues to blame the victims. He has put them through the ordeal of a trial and having to give evidence.

“I commend the bravery of the victims in coming forward and giving evidence which has resulted in Urban being sentenced to a significant period of time.

“His sentence shows that crimes of this nature, against vulnerable people in our society, will not be tolerated.”

June 2009

Mum slams child abuser’s prison sentence

A MOTHER has slammed the “disgraceful” prison sentence handed to a paedophile who tricked his way to earning her trust before abusing her young son.

Despite having served two separate jail terms for child sex offences and an “irresistible impulse to abuse children”, Mark Chapman (44) was locked up for just 30 months after a judge complained he was prevented by law from imprisoning him for any longer.

As the sentence was passed at Peterborough Crown Court, the mother of the 11-year-old city boy he abused by forcing him to watch pornography walked out of the public gallery in disgust.

Speaking to The Evening Telegraph outside the courtroom on Friday, she said: “It’s disgraceful. He should have got much longer but he’ll be out in not much more than a year.

“He deliberately deceived us so he could get into our lives and then the first chance he got, he abused my boy. This sentence is just not good enough.”

The court heard Chapman moved to the city from Newcastle-upon-Tyne after being sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for physically and sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl.

He was locked up for a second time in 2007 – this time for a year – after police found a collection of indecent images of children on his mobile phone and computer at his home in Peterborough

Despite being banned from communicating with children, he tried to cover up his shameful past by changing his name to Mark Mancer. Then, after meeting the boy’s parents last summer, he befriended them to such an extent that he was treated “like an uncle” to their children.

On the day heavy snowfall caused chaos in Peterborough on February 5 this year, Chapman seized an opportunity when he was asked to collect the 11-year-old from school.

Prosecutors said he took the youngster to his flat where he sat him on his lap and showed him pornographic movies on his computer while rubbing the boy’s leg.

Chapman, of Copsewood in Werrington, Peterborough, pleaded guilty to a charge of causing a child to watch a sexual act and to a further charge of breaching a sexual offences prevention order.

Judge Patrick Moloney QC described Chapman as a paedophile who posed a continuing danger to young children. He said: “I’m very concerned that this man has an irresistible impulse to abuse children.”

But the judge added that because of the relatively minor nature of Chapman’s offence, he was powerless to impose on him an indeterminate prison sentence for public protection, which would have meant he could only be released once he was no longer considered dangerous.

“I wish I had the power because, if I did, I would use it,” he said.

Because Chapman has already served 83 days in custody on remand, the 30-month sentence means he is likely to be freed in June 2010.

January 2014

MAN WHO PAID BOY FOR ‘SEXUAL FAVOURS’ SENT TO PRISON BY CARLISLE COURT

A pervert who paid a school boy for “sexual favours” has been jailed for more than three years.

Paul Ellis, 52, gave the youngster, who was in his mid teens, various sums of money to perform sex acts.

But he gave himself up eventually to police, telling them he thought he was a paedophile. Ellis, who now lives in Swadford Street, Skipton, North Yorkshire, admitted a string of sex crimes when he appeared before Carlisle Crown Court.

Tim Evans, prosecuting, said the offences happened in Keswick in 2012, with Ellis offering the boy “money for sexual favours”.

The boy told police he “ended up agreeing with it”, saying: “He kept giving me money for it.”

Ellis later said he was going to tell the police.

The boy, the court heard, had told Ellis: “Don’t, it will just mess up both of our lives”. But Mr Evans said Ellis did contact the police, saying he had “done something with a teenage boy”.

The court heard that “sexual gratification prevailed over sense and reason”. Ellis admitted five counts of sexual activity with a child and four charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

For the first three counts of sexual activity with a child he received concurrent sentences of three years and four months.

For the remaining offences he was given concurrent sentences of nine months, to run concurrently with the other jail terms.

He was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order, banning him from contact with boys under 16, except unavoidable contact.

October 2009

Car boot paedophile uses cuddly toys as bait

Child sex pervert Trevor Cole displays toys to lure children

IT is a photo that will send a chill down the spine of every parent.

Child sex monster Trevor Cole, 52, lays out cuddly toys to lure kids to his car boot sale stall. 

The convicted paedophile – caged for five years for molesting girls – is on the sex offenders register.

His offences consisted of 10 indecent assaults on two young girls.

September 2000

Officers defend paedophile decision

JAILED pervert Percival Threadgill was given a police caution for an indecent assault last year, because police believed nothing would be gained by putting him before the courts.

But when he re-offended, just over a year later, he wasn t given a second chance and ended up being jailed for six months on the day of his 89th birthday.

However, police today denied the decision to give the pensioner a caution was a mistake, and said it had been totally vindicated by the sentence handed out at Peterborough Crown Court.

They said if they had not taken the decision to caution Threadgill last year, then he might not have received a prison sentence this time around.

As reported in The Evening Telegraph yesterday, Threadgill, of Blossom Court, Norburn, Bretton, Peterborough, pleaded guilty to two charges of indecent assault relating to attacks on a six and a seven-year-old girl.

The court heard he had a history of indecent assaults stretching back to 1980.

Detective Chief Inspector Dick Harrison said today: I feel totally vindicated by the decision we made last year.

The likelihood of him receiving a prison sentence then was virtually zero.

We had to make a decision on the facts of the case as they were reported to us.

I am not trying to minimise what happened then, but it was inappropriate behaviour, rather than a more gross type of behaviour.

DCI Harrison added: The fact that he was cautioned last time has no doubt had the effect that he received a prison sentence this time.

He added that if Threadgill had gone before the courts last year, he would not have received a prison sentence and would still have been free.

DCI Harrison said: Both of these incidents taken in isolation would probably not warrant a custodial sentence.

A spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which handled the prosecution of Threadgill, said: The decision to caution him last year was not made by the CPS it was entirely a police matter.

‘He was a sad old man’Percival Threadgill indecently assaulted an eight-year-old girl in Bretton, Peterborough, in May 1999.

He was cautioned after it was decided that it would not be in the public interest to charge him, because of his age and the age of his victim.

Instead, he was summoned to a police station and issued with a caution about his behaviour and his future conduct.

At the time, Detective Chief Inspector Dick Harrison told The Evening Telegraph that Threadgill was a “sad old man”.

He added: “Nothing at all would be achieved by putting the case before a court.”

October 2000

                    ANGER AS PERVERT AVOIDS JAIL TERM

THERE was uproar in court when a judge sentenced a paedophile to probation because he could not pass a tough enough jail sentence.

Judge Peter de Mille said he knew people would be upset when pervert Martin Beeson (38) was given three years probation for taking obscene pictures of a sleeping five-year-old girl.

And he had barely finished speaking when relatives of the girl began shouting angrily.

The court heard Beeson befriended the girl s mother, who allowed her to stay at his flat.

What she didn t know was that Beeson took indecent photographs of the sleeping girl.

Or that Beeson had moved to Mount Pleasant Road, Wisbech, from the Ortons area of Peterborough, after changing his name from Martin Chiles by deed poll. He had been convicted of indecently assaulting a seven-year-old girl prior to 1993 and years earlier of indecent exposure.

The photographs only came to light when Beeson fell out with the child s mother, who became suspicious when she heard of his record.

Judge de Mille said he was putting Beeson on probation on condition he attended a sex offenders programme.

The judge said this wouldprotect the public better than giving Beeson a relatively short prison sentence. This way he would be monitored and controlled by the Probation Service.

The maximum sentence under Section One of the Protection of Children Act (1978) is three years.

But with time off for pleading guilty and parole entitlement, the judge knew Beeson would be behind bars for little more than a year.

He said: I have little doubt that there will be some members of the public that will regard this sentence with dismay, if not disagreement, and I express my regret that Parliament has not seen fit to increase the maximum sentence allowed.

The judge left the courtroom as relatives fired angry questions, and one said the child and her mother would probably have to move away.

He said the girl s mother was afraid Beeson could knock on her door at any time.

Hes walked and she will have to leave home. She can t feel safe with him around.

The sentence was met with disbelief by Sara Payne, who has become a campaigner for tougher sentences on paedophiles following the murder of her eight-year-old daughter Sarah.

Sara told The Evening Telegraph: Judges reasoning goes out of the window these days. It s really time we started looking at sentencing and preventing children from being hurt.

It s disgusting, it really is. It s time children started being put first.

Mike Magee, defending, said Beeson planned to marry a woman who can t have children for medical reasons and the relationship was helping him.

July 1999

Paedophile jailed for seven years for abusing boys

Paedophile picked on lonely boys with family problems as his victims, and put himself forward as a father figure before assaulting them

David Fenwick (64) had been found guilty of four counts of indecent assault on two boys and a charge of a serious sexual assault.

Peterborough Crown Court heard how Fenwick, from Barnack, was once a respected RAF officer and Stamford shop manager.

Sentencing Fenwick in July 1999, Judge Peter Morrell read letters of support from Fenwick’s friends and family and said: “They only saw the Dr Jekyll – this court has seen the Mr Hyde.”

Judge Morrell said he had abused the children’s trust and the trust of their parents.

The charges dated back to between 1978 and 1981.

January 2014

Drug addict parents exposed their baby son to appalling risk through their “reckless” use of drugs

A court in Cumbria has jailed a young couple after hearing how they exposed their baby son to appalling risk through their “reckless” use of drugs.

Horrified onlookers saw 25-year-old Roxanne Irving, who had taken heroin and 10 tranquilliser tablets, weaving in and out of traffic on busy Carlisle city centre roads.

Her boyfriend Gary Hetherington, 34, the child’s father, was in a nearby street collecting heroin after arranging the deal while out with her and the baby a few minutes earlier, magistrates heard.

Hetherington and Irving, of Toronto Street, Currock, had earlier each admitted a charge of child neglect. They were each jailed for 26 weeks.

Adrienne Harris, prosecuting, described how the couple took the baby – strapped in his buggy – to Carlisle city centre on November 13 last year.

Onlookers became concerned as they saw how Irving, pushing the pram, was weaving all over the pavement and into the road.

“She was leaning heavily on to the buggy and swerving from side to side,” said a worker from the Fusehill Street Spar shop who saw her.

It was raining steadily and there was no rain-cover on the pram, she said. Witnesses heard the baby sobbing.

Hetherington came into the shop and was heard discussing a drug deal on his mobile.

The shop worker described how Irving continued to put her child at risk outside.

She said: “She suddenly dismounted the pavement and went straight into the middle of the road – straight into the path of a Royal Mail van, which took evasive action to prevent them both being run over.”

Afterwards, Irving forced traffic to slow down and dodge her and the baby as she walked in the road. Another witness saw Irving pushing the pram in Chiswick Street.

“As soon as she was on the pavement, she fell back off again with the buggy, tipping it over,” she said.

Police eventually arrived and intervened. Irving, slumped by the pram, said her boyfriend had left. He had gone to collect heroin.

Irving admitted smoking heroin earlier that day and taking 10 Valium tablets while she was with the baby.

She accepted putting her child at risk.

Police found drugs paraphernalia at the couple’s home, including needles, tablets and scales.

John Smith, for Irving, said the incident lasted only 13 minutes. His client had been emotional and upset.

He said the future was now looking brighter and she had not taken heroin since the offence. “It was an isolated incident at a time of great stress,” he added.

Tariq Khawam, for Hetherington, said there was no evidence the child was at risk at the couple’s home. His client had tested negative for drugs since the incident.

Both solicitors lodged an appeal against the jail term.

Magistrates lifted an order that would have prevented naming the pair 

David Taylor, chairman of the bench, told the defendants their actions amounted to child cruelty, adding: “This was reckless behaviour.” The year old baby is being cared for by somebody else.

January 2014

Man who filmed up a schoolgirl’s skirt is given suspended prison sentence

A LUTON man who filmed up a schoolgirl’s skirt with his mobile phone has been sentenced, after an off-duty Metropolitan Police special constable witnessed the incident.

Kevin Andrews, 52, of Fourth Avenue, Luton, appeared at Blackfriars Crown Court on December 20 after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to possessing an indecent image of a child and two counts of outraging public decency.

He was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for 18 months.

Andrews was also fined £300, placed on the sex offenders register for seven years and handed a five-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).

The SOPO prevents him from taking images of any female that is not known to him.

Andrews committed the offence around 8am on July 9, 2013, at Moorgate London Underground station.

The court heard that an off-duty Metropolitan Police special constable noticed Andrews acting suspiciously so started to observe him.

Andrews made his way up the escalator and stood close to a young schoolgirl before holding his mobile phone low down and in camera mode.

The officer confronted Andrews and asked to see the phone, which contained up skirt images.

BTP officers were called and Andrews was arrested and taken to a London police station.

During a search of Andrews’ home address officers found a disc containing more up skirt videos and a laptop containing indecent images of children.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Darren Davies, the investigating officer, said: “Thanks to the quick actions of the off-duty special constable, Andrews was quickly arrested.

“The special constable was suspicious of Andrews because his behaviour was unlike everyone else on the platform.

“He was clearly watching female passengers so the officer started following him.

“Andrews’ phone and a disc found at his home revealed more up skirt videos.

“With this overwhelming evidence he had no option but to plead guilty.”

The sentencing follows the launch of Project Guardian – a multi agency initiative involving British Transport Police (BTP), Metropolitan Police Safer Transport Command (STC), City of London Police and Transport for London (TfL).

The partners have been working together to improve the levels of reporting among victims of sexual offences and to create an environment on the transport network which does not tolerate intimidation and sexual harassment.

DC Davies said: “We don’t tolerate unwanted sexual behaviour of any kind on the transport network and take all reports seriously.

“If someone has made you feel uncomfortable on your tube journey – however minor it may seem to you – reporting it to police can help us target the perpetrator and prevent it happening to another passenger.”

To report an incident of a sexual nature that occurred on a Tube or train, call British Transport Police on 0800 405040 or text 61016 with details of what happened.

January 2014

Sex text teaching assistant is banned

A former teaching assistant has been banned from working with children for life and handed a suspended jail sentence after sending naked pictures of herself via text messages to a pupil.

Shelley Trinder, 30, was working with vulnerable students at a Shropshire school in 2011 when she began to send texts to the children, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard.

Trinder was sending messages daily to a teenage boy at the school.

Ms Raj Punia, prosecuting, said: “She gave him the pin number for her Blackberry phone so he could text her for free. He sent her a message saying ‘hi’ and instead of ignoring the message or telling him it was inappropriate to text her, she encouraged this contact. One night in August 2011 she sent him a message saying she was out drinking and said she was ‘horny’. The boy thought it was a joke and asked her to send him a dirty message.”

Trinder replied that if he was older and she younger she would have sex with him. The text messages moved to a more sexual nature to include her talking about her performing a sex act on him and then having sex, the court heard. During this time he received three pictures of her and had sent pictures of himself naked to her.

Ms Punia said the Telford school had spoken to her about her behaviour after she began chatting on Facebook with some of her students in July 2011. She said: “She was warned she would be putting her job at risk if she continued. In November it was brought to the attention of the authorities that there were inappropriate activities going on.” At an earlier hearing, Trinder, of Dalford Court, Hollinswood, admitted one charge of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Judge Robin Onions banned Trinder from working with children for life and handed her a 20-month jail term suspended for two years, placed her under a sexual offences prevention order for seven years, and made her subject to a supervision order for two years, notification requirements for 10 years and a curfew for three months.

He said: “The school appears to have acted completely properly and warned her and she just ignored the warnings.

“It was a remarkably vulnerable pupil. She was clearly sexually attracted to him. In many ways this is a classic grooming case but they did meet and didn’t have sexual contact. If there had been any contact she would have gone into custody and it would have been measured in years.

“This young lady is remarkably immature and totally unsuited to a career in teaching.” He added: “If she does anything like this again it will be prison.”

Nigel Newman, a spokesman for Telford & Wrekin Council, which employed Trinder, said: “The individual was suspended from her employment with the council as a support assistant in February 2012 as soon as we were made aware of the allegation arising from the incident which led to her being charged by police. Following this, disciplinary proceedings were held which resulted in her dismissal from her job with the council in March 2013.”

January 2014

Fylde coast sex offender is set to be sentenced today

Kevin Christie, 40, formerly of Thornton, will appear at Preston Crown Court after he was found guilty of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and possessing an indecent image of a child following a trial last month.

The first offence took place on January 18 2012 when Christie incited a 13-year-old girl via Blackberry Messenger to engage in sexual activity.

The second offence was discovered when Christie was arrested on suspicion of the first offence on March 3 last year.

Officers found an indecent image of a 14-year-old girl following analysis of Christie’s mobile phone.

January 2014

Man jailed for multiple rape of a child

A Peterborough man has been jailed for 13 years after admitting filming himself raping a four-year-old child, and distributing the video on the internet

Brett Deane (28) of Welland Road, Peterborough was caged at Peterborough Crown Court today (Tuesday) after admitting a number of sexual offences against the girl, including two counts of rape.

The court was told he filmed one of the rapes, and shared it with people it on the internet.

He also admitted four counts of sexual assault, and one count of each charge of taking, making, possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

Detective Sergeant Amerjit Singh said: “It is almost impossible to comprehend such an horrific act of attacking a young child who had no way of defending herself.

“Deane did not give a moment’s thought to what impact his actions will have on such a young victim who will, no doubt, be haunted by this abuse for many years to come.

“While no sentence could make up for what he did to that young child, the jail term passed by the judge shows how seriously such offending is taken by the police and the courts and should send a strong warning that it will not be tolerated.”

January 2014

Waterside man (52) admits making indecent images

A 52-year-old Waterside man has admitted making indecent images.

Robert Geoffrey Ferris, of Ivy Mead, pleaded guilty to seven charges of making indecent images.

He admitted a further charge of possessing an indecent photo.

Ferris had initially denied all the offences. However, at Derry Crown Court today he applied to be re-arraigned and entered guilty pleas.

Sentencing was adjourned for a probation pre-sentence report to be compiled.

Ferris was released on continuing bail and will appear in court again on February 11.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

January 2014

Pervert OAP banned from Pingles Leisure Centre

A PENSIONER has been banned from a Nuneaton leisure centre and ordered to register as a sex offender after exposing himself and performing sex acts in front of young girls.

And a judge has said that James Howard’s case ‘cries out’ for a psychiatric report to be prepared on him in view of previous convictions for similar offences.

Howard pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to four charges of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child at the Pingles Leisure Centre in Nuneaton.

The court heard that on a date in September 2012 Howard twice carried out a sex act in the presence of 12-year-old girls ‘to obtain sexual gratification’ – and did the same in front of two 11-year-old girls the following month.

Howard, aged 72 of Sheelin Crescent, Nuneaton, also pleaded guilty to a further charge of deliberately exposing his genitals in November 2012, intended that someone should see him do so.

Sally Hancox, defending, asked whether the judge had seen Howard’s antecedents, which Judge Alan Parker said he had.

That was a reference to a conviction in August 2005 when Howard was jailed for similar offences committed in front of ten-year-old girls at Stratford Leisure Centre.

And at the time of those offences he was already subject to a community order imposed in December 2004 for exposing himself to children playing by a brook near his home.

Miss Hancox said: “He has already been in contact, in relation to this case, with psychiatric services and with the Lucy Faithful Foundation.”

The foundation is a charity which is dedicated to preventing child sex abuse and working with offenders to address their behaviour.

Asking for an adjournment for a pre-sentence report, Miss Hancox said a psychiatric report was also being requested, together with a report from the foundation.

And Judge Parker commented: “The case cries out for those additional reports.”

He adjourned the case for the reports to be prepared on Howard, who was granted bail with conditions that he does not go to the Pingles Leisure Centre and does not have any contact with children.

Howard was also ordered to register with the police as a sex offender.

Judge Parker told him: “The fact that I am adjourning the case and permitting the preparation of the reports must not be seen by you as any indication of what the eventual sentence will be.

“It is very probable you will receive a sentence of imprisonment forthwith.”

January 2014

Paedophile choirmaster who abused children in Farnworth church is jailed

A CHOIRMASTER has been jailed after admitting abusing young children in the vestry at a Farnworth church.

Peter Williams was in charge of two choirs and was organist at St James’ CE Church, Farnworth, in the 1970s, Bolton Crown Court heard.

Rachel White, prosecuting, told how he preyed on an 11-year-old girl and a nine-year-old boy, using his position of trust in the church to sexually assault them.

Judge Timothy Clayson sentenced 60-year-old Williams to 28 months in prison adding that, had he committed his crimes more recently than the 1970s, he would have been facing a much longer sentence.

Williams, of Claremont Road, Salford, pleaded guilty to five counts of indecently assaulting a child and one count of indecency with a child.

The court heard that Williams, who was in his mid-20s in the late 1970s when the offences occurred, was responsible for the choirs’ practices and performances and had a position of trust in the community.

Judge Clayson said: “What you did to them was a very serious breach of trust.”

The abuse began when one of the choirgirls, then aged 11 or 12, was followed into a toilet by Williams who hugged her and then placed his hands on her bottom.

“Having committed that offence and got away with it, what followed was more serious.”

When the girl was aged 13, and alone with him in the vestry, he got her to perform a sex act on him which only ended when they were interrupted by a passer-by.

Williams also turned his attentions to a nine-year-old boy, ordering him to take his trousers down before sexually abusing him.

Judge Clayson was told that, in the early 1970s, before the offences were committed, Williams had already appeared in court for indecent behaviour on church premises.

July 2004

Sentence cut for child killer is slammed

A MOTHER whose daughter was raped and murdered has criticised the Home Secretary who cut the killer’s recommended prison sentence.

Six-year-old Corby girl Collette Gallacher was murdered by Adam Stein in February, 1986.

Northampton Crown Court heard Stein lured Collette into his home in Ashley Avenue, Corby, as she walked to catch a bus to Our Lady’s Infants School on February 28, 1986.

More than 120 police officers were involved in the hunt for the girl. Her body was found in Stein’s attic after he tried to kill himself and admitted in a suicide note that he had ‘done wrong’.

The judge at Stein’s trial said he should serve a minimum of 25 years, but following advice from the Lord Chief Justice, the then Home Secretary Douglas Hurd decided he should only be imprisoned for 18 to 20 years.

Now Lord Hurd has told the ET why he reduced the sentence by five years.

He said he made the decision because the Lord Chief Justice’s views “carried great weight because he saw all murder cases”.

But Collette’s mother, Karen Holmes, of Corby, is disgusted at the reduction.

She said: “The trial judge heard all the evidence and recommended a sentence based on that.

“This man should not even be looked at until 25 years are up. If people take a child in that way then life should mean life.”

Collette’s family always thought Stein would be behind bars until 2011.

But a parole board official visited them last month and told them Stein was applying for parole and could be released soon. It was only then that they discovered Lord Hurd’s decision.

Mrs Holmes said: “Nobody has been in contact with me since the trial. I was told they could not find me but I have lived here for 20 years.

“But when they came and said he was going up for parole I was disgusted.

“We are not mentally prepared for him to be released early.”

The family have put petitions in pubs and businesses around the town protesting at the possible early release and have collected thousands of signatures.

January 2014

Stevenage paedophile pleads guilty to making indecent movies and images of children

A man has pleaded guilty to eight counts of making indecent photographs of a child and two counts of possessing indecent photographs of a child.

Shaun Carlan, of Douglas Drive in Stevenage, appeared at Stevenage Magistrates’ Court on Monday, where he pleaded guilty to possessing 51 indecent images of children and 21 indecent movies of children.

The 21-year-old had one Level 5 image – the most serious – five Level 4, seven Level 2 and 38 Level 1. He also had 12 Level 4 movies, three Level 3, four Level 2 and two Level 1.

He is due to appear at St Albans Crown Court on January 30 for sentencing.

January 2014

Paedophile jailed after indecent images of children and animals found at Gloucester house

REGISTERED sex offender David Bolton has been jailed after being caught with child and animal pornography on his computer and iPod.

Dad-of-one David Bolton, 49, had been placed on the sex offender register in 2012 by a court in Oxford – where he then lived – after he admitted child abuse images offences.

He moved to Tredworth Road, Gloucester, to escape the “bullying” he received in Oxford after publicity about his offences.

But Bolton then relapsed into again downloading illegal images of children and animals, Gloucester Crown Court heard.

He was jailed for a year after he admitted four offences of making indecent images, three of possessing indecent images and one of possession of extreme pornography.

Prosecutor Mark Hollier said that on July 2 last year, two officers called at his home to make a routine check as he was on the sex offender register.

His computer was on and he seemed agitated about it and also about his iPod Touch. He appeared to be deleting files, Mr Hollier said.

Bolton was arrested and frankly admitted he had more illegal material on his devices.

In due course checks showed he had 1,032 indecent images of children on his computer and 115 on his iPod.

Mr Hollier said the majority of the children images were the least serious level one but on the computer there were four at level three and five at level four.

The children were girls aged between about five and 12.

On the iPod there were four level two images, seven at level three and 34 at level four. Those girls were aged four to nine.

Joe Maloney, defending, said when Bolton was sentenced in September 2012 he was ordered to attend various courses which would help him with his sexual problem.

Unfortunately those courses were not available in Gloucester when he moved so through no fault of his own he had been unable to take them.

The reason for coming to Gloucester was to escape the problems in Oxford and because his partner had associations in Gloucester, he added.

Jailing Bolton for four months for his Oxford offences and eight months consecutively for the new offences in Gloucester, Judge Tabor said: “Some of these pictures were horrific. They show little children being abused by adults in a depraved manner.

“Part of the community order you received in Oxford was to ensure you got some treatment so that you understood what causes you to want to look at these photographs and to drive home the wickedness of them.

“As a result of that order, and no doubt as a result of the publicity, you found yourself being subject to bullying in your local area and you moved to Gloucester, partly because your girlfriend had connections here.

“To commit similar offences again after you moved is very serious indeed. It is only because people like yourself look at these photos that the gangsters and bad men abuse children the way they do.”