November 2016

Paedo ‘posing at little girl’ jailed for five years

A sex offender who pretended to be an 11-year-old girl online was actually talking to another paedophile also pretending to be underage.

Jonathan Wales, 41, masqueraded as a child and began talking to Simon Riley, 21, who is currently serving 12 years in the US for counts including sexually exploiting a minor.

Sick Wales, who had been convicted of making and distributing indecent images of children and given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, was discovered after Riley’s computers were seized by British authorities in September 2015.

November 2016

Four-year-old sex abuse victim finally won justice after 40 years when her attacker was jailed

She said she had been left an alcoholic and drug addict who had made attempts to kill herself – once by jumping off a high building – by the cruel crimes of Thomas Dulson, 80.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, fled sobbing from Teesside Crown Court during his sentencing.

November 2016

Woman was sexually abused by her brother over 1,000 times

A WOMAN who was sexually abused by her brother over 1,000 times last night broke her silence to reveal her torment.

Brave Michelle Cooke, 40, from Walkinstown, south Dublin, waived her right to anonymity to expose the actions of her evil older brother Kenneth, 53.

And the mum-of-two vowed never to forgive the predator after he was jailed for nine years at Dublin Circuit Court on January 12, 2015, when he was found guilty on 16 counts of indecent assault.

The sex abuse victim can only now share her harrowing story after her depraved sibling received a separate 14-year sentence last week for abusing two boys.

The two sentences will run concurrently with the monster ordered to serve the 14 years behind bars.

In an interview Michelle told how she had been targeted by her brother shortly before making her ‘Holy Communion’.

She said: “He was abusing me four or five times a week between the ages of seven and 11. He wasn’t my big brother, he was a monster.

“I should have been safe in my own home but my earliest memory was him coming into tell me to take off my underwear and then lie on the bed. He would then abuse me by performing oral sex on me.

“He would grope me and at the time I hadn’t a clue what was going on but I knew it was wrong. He would tell me to keep it our secret and I would be rewarded the next day with sweets. I now know this was his grooming process.

“When there was no-one else in the house he would also make me watch pornographic films and when I was nine he also tried to rape me on numerous occasions.

“I had to wait until he was asleep so I could leave the room. Every-time I took a bath I was terrified he would be watching me.

“He tried to rape me from the age of nine but I would tell him it was too painful and then he would lie on top of me and masturbate and then tell me to clean myself up. I was just a piece of meat to him. When I cut myself with a sharp knife on purpose I didn’t feel pain but felt relief. When I was having a bad day, which was nearly every day, I cut myself. When I saw blood I would feel better because I was realising my pain and anger at the same time.

“I no longer have a big brother. To me he’s nothing but a paedophile who will always remain a danger to little boys and girls even when he’s released from prison.”

Michelle, who has been receiving counselling for the last six years, first raised her concerns in 2000 during a family argument.

But after struggling to come to terms with the abuse by turning to alcohol and self-harming, the courageous mum contacted the Gardai in June 2012.

A full investigation was launched from investigators at Crumlin Garda Station.

Since her decision to come forward, Michelle, who was also on anti-depressants because of the abuse, has vowed to help other victims of sexual abuse.

She added: “I went to my brother’s wedding in April 2011 and he made my skin crawl. He was making a speech saying how lucky he was and I wanted to strangle him. I coped by drinking excessively and was suffering from flashbacks so I knew I had to do something and that’s when I came forward.

“I didn’t even know who I was because he stole that from me.

“He was driving around in a van without a care in the world and he was the life and soul of the party. Everyone thought he was great but I knew he was a demon. If he told me why he did it I don’t think any answer would satisfy me. Our father would be turning in his grave if he knew what he did.”

The abuse survivor also remains convinced her brother targeted other children in the south Dublin area.

She added: “I’ve no doubt he targeted others over the years and I would ask them to come forward because they shouldn’t have to suffer in silence. I’ll be shocked if there are no other victims. If people haven’t come forward, it’s because they are scared. I’m trying to get my life back and want to be a voice for others.

“When I was on the stand it was horrific, the worst thing I’ve ever had to do, but it was worth it. Sibling abuse is like a taboo subject but people need to talk about it.”

She added: “Everyone thought he was great but it was killing me inside. I became a recluse and didn’t want to see my friends because I would break down if I was out with them.

My children and my husband were also noticing how unhappy I was. They have been fantastic through this nightmare. When I confronted him in the past about it he said he was sick but then he was going about his daily business without a care in the world.

“He begged me not to do anything until after he came home from his honeymoon and I foolishly agreed to this. When he came back he stayed away from me and must have thought I would never have had the courage to come forward.”

The sex attack victim also paid tribute to gardai for nailing the pervert. The investigation into the case was run by Det Gda Dan Connell under the command of Det Supt Brian Sutton.

She said: “The Gardai did a superb job and it was great to have people finally believe me. They trusted me and they were there with me every step of the way.

“The One in Four support group for sex abuse victims and Pieta House were also superb. They also provide a great service to victims. When my brother was finally convicted of such a horrible crime it was a huge relief. I could finally sleep knowing that he was no longer out there and no longer a danger to children.”

During the paedo’s sentencing for abusing his sister, Judge Martin Nolan condemned the predator.

The senior judge said: “What makes the offence incredibly serious was the number of times he sexually assaulted his young sister.

“You were an adult and she was a child. You must have known what you were doing was wrong and you continued to do it.” In his sentencing for abusing the two boys, Judge Patricia Ryan described them as “very, very serious”. Cooke was found guilty of 21 counts of sexually assaulting one of the boys between January 2000 to July 2003, when he was aged from 11 to 13.

In a Victim Impact Statement, one of the boys told how he “felt ashamed and filthy as a child”.

Michelle added: “I’m delighted those two other boys had the courage to tell their story…they have been very brave. I don’t know how anyone could commit such horrific crimes against innocent children.”

IMPACT STATEMENT

THE abuse I suffered at the hands of my brother, Kenneth, has affected me for many years. It has affected me both psychologically and mentally.

It has brought many changes to my life and has affected both my family and personal life.

I didn’t want to draw attention to myself in case my ‘dirty secret’ came out. It wasn’t until I was 25 when it came out.

When my brother Mark died suddenly in 2009, I started to talk about my abuse again. The following weeks after his death, I started getting flashbacks.

When I went to the doctor in September 2009, they treated me for bereavement and put me on anti-depressants. They helped me a little but I was going through mental torture. I was ‘dirty’ — I was damaged goods.

My husband still didn’t know I was crying a lot and breaking down. I couldn’t cope with everyday normality.

As I spoke more and more about the abuse, the memories came flooding back. I used to wet the bed every week as a child.

Even now, years later, sleep has always been a problem for me. Nightmares become more and more frequent. I was sleep deprived constantly, so I started to have a couple of drinks at night to help me sleep. Eventually I cut down the drinking but went down another route — painkillers.

I also became very paranoid. I began thinking when I was standing in a queue in a shop and if people would glance at me I think they would know my dirty secret.

When I used to see my brother Kenneth driving around doing everyday stuff, I would have a mix of emotions going through me. I was scared. My skin was crawling and I was angry. How dare he carry on as normal, I’m struggling to get out of bed.

Did anyone understand? I was slowly dying inside. I didn’t know who I was.

My health really was affected so I had thoughts maybe it would be better if I wasn’t here anymore. I was a burden to my family.

Thankfully I stopped self-harming but I have scars on my legs to remind me of those dark, dark days. The abuse has had a huge impact on my life. It’s taken a hell of a long time to get where I am now. I cannot change my past but I’m relieved I have gone through the whole process of court to be vindicated.

I hope after going through all of this I can be a better person to myself, husband and kids.

It has changed my life forever.

November 2016

‘Dangerous predator’ finally jailed for 12 years

Terry Smith, now of Bevan Way, Hornchurch who raped a 14-year-old schoolgirl at knifepoint in a woodland copse more than six years ago has finally been jailed.

Terry Smith, 37, was sent down on Friday for the depraved assault in London Road, Burpham, on the afternoon of September 16, 2010.

The court heard the girl was left unable to have children and at the mercy of school bullies, who blamed her for what happened.

In a statement, read out to Guildford Crown Court, the victim said she was taunted by other girls who labelled her a “slag” and told her she had been asking for it.

“It has changed my life for ever,” said the victim, who was in court to see Smith, formally of Alfold, jailed for 12 years.

He pleaded guilty to two offences of rape and one of sexual assault by penetration.

Smith, an electrical engineer, had been lurking in the area in his van before he pounced when he saw the vulnerable victim walking home from school through some woods.

He grabbed her from behind and held a Stanley knife close to her face before telling her: “Don’t turn around or I will slit you open.”

The defendant then undressed his terrified victim from the waist down before digitally penetrating her and raping her orally and vaginally, prosecutor Ms Abigail Husbands.

She told the court Smith made the distressed school girl keep her eyes shut and count to 200 before he fled the scene.

“She was very frightened,” said Ms Husbands.

The court was told the victim staggered home crying and dishevelled to report her ordeal to her horrified family.

“Because she had never seen her assailant, she could not trust any man she met not to have been the man who had raped her,” said Ms Husbands.

‘Hard to think of a more serious offence of its kind’

Despite widespread publicity, it was not until six years later that Smith was caught when his wife reported him for domestic violence and a DNA sample taken from him matched the swabs taken from the young rape victim, the court heard.

Smith, now of Bevan Way, Hornchurch, initially denied the offences.

“He said he had been in the Burpham area and that a schoolgirl had approached him for sex and that he had obliged,” said Ms Husbands.

Later, however, he confessed his crimes.

Ms Husbands said the degree of planning, the use of a knife accompanied by threats of violence in a lonely spot, were significant aggravating features.

“It’s hard to think of a more serious offence of its kind,” she said.

A pre-sentence report on the defendant described him as posing a future risk of harm to the public.

In an impact statement, which Judge Jonathan Black described as “very moving,” the victim said the trauma of what happened had had affected the production of eggs from her ovaries which meant that she might never be able to have children.

“All I wanted was to be independent and have a loving husband and children,” she said.

But her experience, which happened when she was still a virgin, had coloured her view of sex and left her frightened to be at home if her parents were away or sleep without the windows shut.

“He’s made me afraid to be alone. My friends feel awkward around me. This man has created a permanent barrier between me and my family,” she said.

One of the cruellest consequences, however, had been at school in the aftermath of the attack.

She said the highly-publicised nature of the incident and the fact that she was missing from school the day after meant it did not take long for other pupils to work out that she had been the victim.

“I started getting bullied. The bullying was terrible,” she said.

She said some of the other girls were even worse than the boys.

“They said I was a slag and I had asked for it,” said the victim. “I was tripped up in the street and I was assaulted in a nightclub. It still goes on. I was called a slut and an attention-seeker,” she added.

Jailing Smith and banning him from unsupervised contact with anyone under16, Judge Black said the impact on the victim had been huge.

“Your actions have effectively ruined her life,” he said.

A large-scale Surrey Police operation named Operation Zastava was aunched to identify the man responsible for what police described as a “disgusting and terrifying attack”.

Six years on, in August 2016, Terry Smith was identified, arrested and subsequently charged after police discovered DNA linking him to the attack.

Smith will serve the second half of the sentence on licence. He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and given a lifetime restraining order against the victim.

November 2016

Sex offender who tried to contact victim through social media back in court

A sex offender who tried years later through social media to contact the victim of his crimes has been brought back before a judge.

November 2016

Man who plied teenage boy with drugs before sexually assaulting him jailed

A man plied a 15-year-old boy with “free” drugs and drink before sexually assaulting him, a court has heard.

Preston Crown Court heard the teenager’s friends had suggested to him he was being groomed after he revealed Adam Hardy, 32, of Gregory’s Court, Lancaster, was giving him cannabis and vodka.

Hardy, a team leader for a catering firm, received a 15 month jail term, suspended for two years, must attend a sex offender’s programme and will be on the register for 10 years.

Prosecuting, Francis McEntee said: “The complainant was not interested in any relationship with him but makes it plain he was interested in the fact he was getting drink and drugs free from him.

“He says they had been drinking vodka. They were sitting on the bed in the defendant’s room in the defendant’s parents address.”

Hardy “dived” onto the boy and put his hands down his pants and grabbed him but later apologised.

A few weeks later, at another man’s home, Hardy put his hands down the boy’s tracksuit trousers and groped him – and the victim threatened to “break his nose”.

The final incident happened in Hardy’s kitchen, when the boy fought back and gave him two black eyes.

The boy’s friends advised him to tell his mother and it was reported to the police.

Defending, Chris Hudson said: “He’s gay but he’s not aggressive.

“He’s a pleasant man. He had three Achilles heels – drink, cannabis and cocaine.”

Judge Sara Dodd said: “He was 15 when you first abused him – that it what it was.

“You, after consuming drugs and drink, touched him. On the final occasion he gave you what is colloquially known as a good hiding.”

November 2016

Former teacher jailed after indecently assaulting teenage boy in 1980s

A man has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison after being found guilty of indecently assaulting a teenage boy.

David Beard, 64, who had befriended the boy, sexually assaulted him for two years when he was a teenager in the 1980s.

Beard, of Gladstone Way, Cambridge, denied two offences of indecent assault on a male under the age of 16 – but was found guilty of one of the charges after facing trial at Cambridge Crown Court this week.

Beard, who was a science teacher at the time, was handed two and a half years in prison after the jury returned their verdicts on Monday.

William Carter, prosecuting, said the boy first got to know Beard in the 1980s when Beard was in his 30s.

He said Beard had also run a mobile disco which the boy was interested in.

“Mr Beard befriended him and over time invited him to his house where he was sexually abused,” Mr Carter said.

He told the court that Beard offered the boy whisky and told him he had a pornographic video upstairs.

Mr Carter said that sexual activity took place between Beard and the teenager in the bedroom where the boy was said to have found a photograph of a naked child.

The court heard that sexual activity continued for a number of months.

The jury at Cambridge Crown Court heard that the alleged victim had been ashamed at what had happened and did not report it, but decided to take action after reading a report that Beard had been acquitted of sexual activity with another young man in a separate court case.

Beard categorically denied any sexual offences had taken place

November 2016

Sutton man found guilty of raping and exploiting ‘vulnerable’ girl

A 32-year-old man has been found guilty of raping and exploiting a “vulnerable” girl for use in child sexual abuse images

Jason Vasan, from Sutton, lured schoolgirls to perform on adult web-cam websites by promising them money in return, Croydon Crown Court heard.

He was today convicted of rape, causing child pornography, taking indecent images of a child and possession of extreme pornography, having already pleaded guilty to supplying cannabis.

The Met’s Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse (SOECA) began investigating Vasan in July 2015 following a tip-off about his work.

They spoke to a girl who had met Vasan while she was living in a hostel. She said he supplied her with drugs and forced her to take sexually explicit images and videos which were posted online.

It also emerged he raped her at her home address.

Detectives trawled through laptops, phones and documents seized from Vasan’s house and found messages which supported the girl’s account.

They also found thousands of sexually explicit videos and images, including many of the girl in question.

Financial enquiries showed that Vasan was receiving payments from the website, taking a cut for himself and then paying various women – including the victim.

It meant he had full financial control over his victim, deciding when and how much money she was paid.

Vasan will be sentenced on 31 January 2017.

November 2016

Ormskirk man receives 13 year sentence for sexual assault committed 30 years ago

A West Lancashire man who repeatedly sexually assaulted a young girl about 30 years ago has been given a 13 year sentence.

Malcolm Flynn was jailed for ten years with an extended licence of three years after being convicted of eight sex offences involving indecent assault or indecency with the school girl.

The 56-year-old was summoned to Liverpool Crown Court on November 11 and was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order was also imposed.

Flynn, of Holly Close, Westhead, near Ormskirk denied the allegations when he was interviewed by police.

Robert Dudley, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that the offences happened on various occasions. The girl confided in an uncle when she was 17 and he wanted to confront Flynn but she begged him not to as she feared he would attack Flynn and she did not want her uncle to get into trouble.

She later told other relatives but it was only in early 2015 that she went to the police to complain.

Jailing him Judge Norman Wright pointed out that nowadays some of the offences Flynn had been convicted of would be charged as oral rape.

The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, read her moving impact statement to the court in which she stated how the abuse had affected her whole life and she suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder, depression and anxiety attacks.

She said: “I feel dirty and frightened and it has ruined my life. Most of the time I don’t want to be here and sometimes I think that everyone would be better off without me.”

November 2016

Paedophile took young boys on trips to Alton Towers before filming himself abusing them

A man who took young boys on trips to Alton Towers before filming himself sexually abusing them has been jailed after police raided a house 50 miles from his home and found the footage.

GMP carried out a search of a property in Wigan and recovered files on a computer of Mark Rosiek abusing young boys.

The search was at the home of another man in Ince Green Lane, Wigan, who was later charged with two counts of sexual activity with a child and possession of indecent images. Mr Hunter has since died.

Rosiek, 35, pleaded guilty to nine counts of sexual activity with children.

He was locked up for six years and eight months and given an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

Police learned of Rosiek’s offences in November 2014 when videos were recovered showing him sexually abusing young boys.

The videos were dated between 2012 and 2014.

A boy was identified from the footage and spoke with police in Wigan in November 2015, confirming that he and other young boys were sexually abused by Rosiek.

The boy told police that he and other boys had been taken to Rosiek’s home address on Old Castle Avenue, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire.

November 2016

Disabled man jailed for child sex abuse images stash

A disabled Wigan man who downloaded and distributed child abuse images has been jailed for 16 months.

Alejandro Membrilla was told by a judge that viewing and distributing such images helped perpetuate the abuse of the victims.

The images found on his computer involved young boys aged between six and 12, said Ken Grant, prosecuting.

The 43-year-old had denied the offences he faced but on the day he was due to face trial he changed his pleas to guilty and sentence was adjourned.

The defendant, who had to have a foot amputated in 2013, arrived at Liverpool Crown Court in a wheelchair but after being jailed he was escorted to the cells using a walking stick.

Mr Grant said that Membrilla lived in shared accommodation above business premises and his offending came to light following complaints about his internet use slowing down the service for the business.

On October 20, 2014, one of his flat mates checked Membrilla’s computer and saw images of children being sexually abused and the police were consequently informed.

When his equipment was seized and forensically examined a total of 43 images

It was also discovered that he had shared seven images in the two most serious categories via Skype with other perverts and had peer-to-peer file sharing software on his computer.

When initially quizzed by officers Membrilla denied that they would find child porn images and only “ordinary gay porn.”

Jailing him and ordering him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for five years Judge Andrew Menary, QC, pointed out that he had had a “warning shot across his bows” when his flatmates had found such images on an earlier occasion and challenged him about his behaviour.

Membrilla, of Dicconson Terrace, Swinley, pleaded guilty two offences of distributing images in the two most serious categories and five of downloading a total of 43 such images between October 2013 and October 23, 2014.

Membrilla, who is originally from Spain, was ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.

August 2016

Former teacher living in Kettering jailed for nine years for sexually abusing pupils

A former teacher from Northamptonshire has been sentenced to nine years in prison after he admitted sexually abusing teenage pupils.

David Panter, aged 68, of York Road, Kettering, pleaded guilty to a number of charges related to the abuse of seven boys, aged between 13 and 18 years old.

Worcester Crown Court heard the abuse took place more than 30 years ago when Panter worked as a teacher outside of the county.

In 2015, one of Panter’s victims reported the abuse to police and an investigation was launched by West Mercia Police.

Panter pleaded guilty to 16 charges of indecent assault of a boy under 14, three charges of indecent assault of a boy under 16, three charges of indecent assault of a boy over 16, four charges of gross indecency and one charge of inciting a boy under 14 to engage in sexual activity.

November 2016

Jail for man who admitted sexual offences against girls in Worcester

A man has been jailed for 12 years after admitting sexual offences against two girls in Worcester in the 1990s.

Walter Payne, formerly from Worcester, admitted three indecent assaults and four rape offences at Worcester Crown Court on Friday, May 20.

The offences were against an 11-year-old girl and he also admitted indecently assaulting another 11-year-old girl.

The offences took place between 1991 and 1996.

As well as the 12 year jail term, Payne, aged 67, from Selby, North Yorkshire, will serve a further six years on licence.

He will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and has to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

June 2016

Mum who had sex with boy she seduced on Facebook avoids prison

A young mum who seduced a 15 year old boy on Facebook and had sex with him in her Cotswolds home has avoided jail.

The boy had been perfectly willing to have intercourse with Georgina Hill and did not want her to be prosecuted, Gloucester Crown Court was told.

But his grandmother reported her to the police after looking at Facebook and reading messages which made her realise that they’d had full sex, said prosecutor Christopher Smythe.

Hill, of Church View, Aston Magna, near Moreton-in-Marsh, pleaded guilty to having sexual activity with a child between 1-20 September 2015.

She was sentenced to 8 months imprisonment suspended for a year and placed on the sex offender register for seven years.

She was also banned from working with children and ordered to undergo 20 days of rehabilitation activity.

Judge Michael Cullum imposed a five year restraining order banning her from contacting the boy, who has now turned sixteen.

Mr Smythe told the court “She knew he was only 15 at the time because she had asked him on Facebook when he would be sixteen.

“The offence came to light on 16th Dec last year when his grandmother contacted the police. She had become aware from Facebook messages she had seen that sexual intercourse had taken place.

“Despite telling him not to go and see Miss Hill he persisted and she felt she had no alternative but to intervene to protect him.

“The defendant had become friends with the boy soon after she moved into her current home with her partner and her one year old daughter.

“The boy began visiting her home and smoking cigarettes with her.

“They then became Facebook friends and started exchanging messages and flirting. They were discussing having a relationship.

“He says the relationship began on 11th September when he visited her home with some friends. He and she ended up kissing. They went to bed together but were interrupted by his grandmother calling and asking him to come home.

“On Sunday 13th September he went round to her house in the morning. They had sexual intercourse in bed. He says he had wanted to have sex with her and it only happened that once

“It was because they continued to have contact, however, that the grandmother felt it was necessary to call the police.

“Miss Hill was arrested and declined to answer any questions.

“She has no previous criminal convictions and was 20 at the time.”

Judge Cullum told defence solicitor Sarah Jenkins that an aggravating feature of the offence was that alcohol was involved.

Another was that Hill was clearly aware of the boy’s age.

But he said that although the offence merited a prison term he felt in all the circumstances it could be suspended.

“This was an action which you knew was wrong. You knew it was wrong before you did it and that is clear from the Facebook messages”

Mrs Jenkins said that since the offence Hill has been living with her grandparents, who also care for two of her cousins. Her daughter is now in the care of the little girl’s father but Hill has access to her.

“The breakdown of her relationship with her daughter’s father is one of the factors relevant to the commission of this offence,” Mrs Jenkins said.

“She has had two relationships with men who were significantly older than herself in the past and that perhaps led to skewed thinking on her part as to what was appropriate or not.

“You also know there have been issues with her mental health following the birth of her daughter. All those things were factors in her increased use of alcohol and the commission of this offence.”

Passing sentence Judge Cullum told Hill “This was an action which you knew was wrong. You knew it was wrong before you did it and that is clear from the Facebook messages.

“You developed a brief relationship with that child – and child he was – no doubt persuading yourself that he was interested in you and that the harm was not significant.

“The reason that Parliament has drawn a line at sixteen (as the age of consent) is because under that age it is deemed that children are at risk and need protection – sometimes from themselves.

“You deliberately broke the law and deliberately, effectively, harmed that boy. You know from your own life how an upbringing can affect what happens later and how relationships can adversely mould later life.

“It is not possible at the moment to say what effect your actions will have on him. “

The judge told her that the 20 days rehabilitation activity requirement would ‘give you the opportunity to have a much needed look at your life and the circumstances which brought you into a position where young people were coming around to your house drinking.

July 2016

Nine perverts jailed for 65 years after vulnerable boy raped and ‘sold like goods’ in city’s red light district

Nine men were jailed for at least 65 years today for committing sexual offences against a teenage boy who was subjected to a horrifying catalogue of abuse.

Alan Priest, 63, was locked up for life and the eight other men received sentences ranging from 11 to three years for offences against the teenager .

A three-month trial earlier this year heard that the victim was in council care when he was raped and ‘sold like goods’ in Birmingham during 2009 and 2010.

Warwick Crown Court also heard how the boy – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was stripped, beaten with a stick, and raped by two of the defendants.

Alan Priest, 63 of Haywood Bridge, Halesowen, was locked up for life today

Ashley Sherrington, 25, of Dawlish Drive, Stoke-on-Trent, was imprisoned for nine years for two counts of rape

Tahir Hussain, 34, was jailed for seven years after being found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child

Passing sentence on the boy’s abusers, Judge Sylvia de Bertadano told the defendants: “Each of you in your own way exploited this vulnerable boy.

“Therefore you are each partly responsible for his situation as a young man who is struggling to get his life back together and finds himself unable to escape from the legacy you have left him.”

The victim, who complained to West Midlands Police in 2009 and 2010, had been let down by the authorities, the judge said.

The judge told the defendants: “The victim complained to the police very early on, before he met many of you who sit in the dock now but his complaints were not followed up.

Stephen Kelly, 40, of Elm Road, Bournville, Birmingham, was jailed for eight years

Michael Godbold, 57, got an 11-year custodial sentence after he was convicted of sexual activity with a child

Robert Bailey, 27, of Watt Road, Erdington, Birmingham, was handed a seven-year sentence

“When he complained he found he was sent to a secure care home which he hated.”

The victim, who had felt understandably aggrieved and confused at his initial treatment by the authorities, had shown ‘incredible courage’ in giving evidence after making a further complaint to the police in 2012, the judge added.

Jurors at Warwick Crown Court had previously deliberated for more than 30 hours before convicting eight defendants from the West Midlands, London and Stoke-on-Trent of offences linked to the abuse.

A ninth man was cleared by the jury of raping the teenager but had previously admitted facilitating child prostitution in relation to the victim, who cannot be identified.

Ian Prestleton, 54, received a three-year sentence after being convicted of sexual activity with a child

Peter Joynes, 59, was given a four-year term for arranging or facilitating child prostitution and sexual activity with a child

West Midlands Police

Kevin Tudor, 55, was jailed for nine years and handed an extended eight-year licence period

The trial heard how the victim was left “traumatised” by the offences against him, which began in his early teens.

Prosecutor Rosina Cottage QC said the complainant, now in his early 20s, was first spoken to by police in 2009.

Ms Cottage said: “Regrettably his contemporaneous complaints were not fully investigated by West Midlands Police in 2009 and 2010.”

During a subsequent inquiry in 2012, the teenager pointed police towards those involved in his exploitation.

Priest, 63, arrives at Warwick Crown Court

Prestleton is pictured arriving at the court during the trial

Joynes, 59, hides his face as he is snapped by photographers

The youngster – who was raped by Priest and the convicted sex offender’s former partner, 25-year-old Ashley Sherrington – was described in court as having a troubled family background.

The nine defendants jailed at Warwick Crown Court for offences connected to the teenager are:

Alan Priest, of Mucklow Hill, Halesowen, West Midlands, was jailed for life with a minimum term of seven years after being convicted of two rapes and one count of sexual activity with a child.

Ashley Sherrington, 25, of Dawlish Drive, Stoke-on-Trent, was imprisoned for nine years for two counts of rape. The trial judge earlier remanded Sherrington in custody and warned him: “You have been convicted of very serious offences, the result of which will be a lengthy term of imprisonment.”

Sherrington also covers his face with his top as he arrives at the court building

Kelly, 40, of Elm Road, Bournville, Birmingham

Robert Bailey, 27, of Watt Road, Erdington, Birmingham, was handed a seven-year sentence after being found guilty of arranging or facilitating child prostitution, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, sexual activity with a child, and making indecent photographs.

Michael Godbold, 57, of Uxbridge Rd, Shepherd’s Bush, London, got an 11-year custodial sentence after he was convicted of sexual activity with a child, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, arranging or facilitating child prostitution, and possession of controlled drugs.

Tahir Hussain, 34, of St Josephs Road, Ward End, Birmingham, was said by the judge to have ‘relentlessly groomed’ and abused the victim after giving him drugs and using expensive cars to impress him. Hussain was jailed for seven years after being found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child.

Godbold, 57, of Uxbridge Rd, Shepherd’s Bush, London

Peter Joynes, 59, of Canberra Way, Highgate, Birmingham, was given a four-year term for arranging or facilitating child prostitution and sexual activity with a child.

Stephen Kelly, 40, of Elm Road, Bournville, Birmingham, was jailed for eight years after being found guilty of two counts of arranging or facilitating child prostitution and one of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Ian Prestleton, 54, of High Haden Road, Cradley Heath, West Midlands, received a three-year sentence after being convicted of sexual activity with a child. He was earlier cleared of rape.

Kevin Tudor, 55, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty before the trial to two counts of sexual activity with a child and facilitating prostitution. He was jailed for nine years and handed an extended eight-year licence period, which will start after his initial sentence has been served.

The inquiry into the teenager’s ordeal also led to the identification of a second victim, who was indecently assaulted by former Special Constable Ronald Potter (above)

Potter arrives at court, dressed in a blue shirt and tie

The inquiry into the teenager’s ordeal also led to the identification of a second victim of a similar age, who was indecently assaulted by former Special Constable Ronald Potter about 15 years ago.

Potter, 79 and from Tippers Hill Lane, Fillongley, near Coventry, was jailed for three years for abusing the under-age boy.

Jailing Potter, Judge de Bertadano accepted that the pensioner was previously of exemplary character, having lived as a family man while forging a successful business.

The judge told Potter: “I don’t doubt that these proceedings have caused you very considerable stress.

“You were effectively leading a double life which few of your friends or family knew about or even suspected.”

November 2016

Jasmine Gregory jailed for baby’s bath death

A mother whose baby died after being left alone in the bath for 10 minutes has been jailed for three years.

Jasmine Gregory, of Ulfgar Road, Oxford, had been drinking on the morning her 14-month-old daughter Robyn died in August 2014.

Gregory, 24, said she became distracted while giving Robyn a bath at their home in Grove, Oxford Crown Court heard.

Judge Ian Pringle described it as a “tragic and wholly avoidable event” and “so wholly wrong and atrocious”.

The court heard the child drowned and that Gregory found her lifeless body.

Robyn’s father said in a victim impact statement “every day is torture” since his daughter died.

Gregory, who was convicted of manslaughter by a jury in just over four hours on Wednesday, made the sign of the cross before being sentenced and was seen crying in the courtroom.

The judge said he did not underestimate the loss she felt but said she acknowledged she “led a chaotic lifestyle”.

“You should have known if you bathe a child in an adult bath you never leave it unattended,” he said.

Det Con Andy Matheson, of Thames Valley Police, said: “This has been a tragic case from the start.

“A young mother has lost her young baby and the extended family have lost the future they would have had with the child.”

Senior crown prosecutor Kirsty Allman said the result was a “just outcome”.

She said: “This was not merely a terrible accident. Gregory was clearly negligent in leaving Robyn unattended in the bath.”

Update – 2016: Paul Bromwich is now 54. He is 6 foot tall, medium build with blue eyes and usually wears glasses. He has a scar on the left side of his face and tattoos on both arms.

June 2001

DNA captures rapist years after crime

A man who raped a 15-year-old girl has been caught three years after the crime as a result of progress in DNA techniques.

Paul Bromwich, 38, attacked the girl as she walked on the Black Path in the Kings Norton area of Birmingham in February 1998.

He was jailed for life at Birmingham Crown Court.

A sample of his DNA was taken from substances left at the scene of the rape and was stored on the national police database.

Last November Bromwich was arrested in Weston-super-Mare for possession of cannabis.

A sample of his DNA was taken and run through the database.

It matched the sample taken at the time of the rape.

Detective Sergeant Silvanus Ward, who led the investigation, said: “This was a total stranger rape and was an horrific attack which left the girl in a bad way.

“If this man had been a serial rapist his DNA would have showed up on the database but he didn’t commit any other offences for nearly three years.”

“It was only when he was arrested for possession of cannabis that we managed to connect him to the rape.”

Detective Sergeant Ward added that he was pleased with the outcome of the case.

He said: “Obviously it was difficult for the victim after such a long time to relive the incident all over again.

“But thanks to DNA profiling, this man has been put away for performing a very nasty act on such a young person.

“We hope this case gives reassurance to the public how seriously we take such incidents and how DNA technology means offenders are being traced years after the offence.”

He added: “We have created a place in which they cannot hide.”

November 2016

Lowestoft caretaker jailed for three years for grooming schoolgirl

A caretaker at a Suffolk school who sexually “groomed” a 13-year-old schoolgirl after meeting her on a social networking site has been jailed for three years.

Carl Morgan, who worked at Pakefield High School, near Lowestoft, exchanged sexually explicit messages with the teenager and got her to send him intimate pictures of herself, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Edward Renvoize, prosecuting, said Morgan got to know the girl, who was not a pupil at the school where he was working, on a social networking site in August 2014.

The relationship was initially platonic but developed to the stage where they were exchanging sexually explicit texts and photographs.

On one occasion Morgan found out from social media that she was meeting a friend and had turned up and asked the girl for a kiss and a hug, said Mr Renvoize.

Contact between them ended in July last year after the girl became concerned about Morgan’s persistence in contacting her.

Morgan had resigned from his job and handed himself into the police after his partner found letters he had written to the girl, the court heard.

Morgan, 35, who was living in Lowestoft but now has an address in West Sussex, admitted inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and making indecent pictures of children.

Jailing him for three years, Judge Rupert Overbury told Morgan there was “significant planning” involved.

“A girl of that age shouldn’t be subjected to such behaviour in any shape or form,” said the judge.

Morgan was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

November 2016

Wanstrow man told to expect jail after admitting possessing video and images of child abuse

A paedophile from Wanstrow has been told he is likely to be sent straight to prison after he admitted being in possession of hundreds of photographs and videos of children being abused.

Adrian Bryans from Wesley Close, appeared before his honour Judge David Ticehurst at Taunton Crown Court today (November 14).

The 54-year-old admitted one charge of possessing Category A images, one charge of having Category B images and another of Category C images, all said to have been created between July 27 2015 and December 12 last year.

Prosecuting, Caroline Bolt said the number of images and videos seized were in the ‘triple figures’.

The hearing was adjourned so a pre-sentence report could be created, but the judge warned him: “The most likely outcome for you is that you will go sent to prison. You have written me a letter saying you do not deem yourself to be dangerous to children – but of course you are.

“What on earth do you think is happening to the children who are being abused for your sexual gratification?”

Bryans was released on bail after signing the sexual offenders’ register and ill next be before the court for sentencing on December 13.

November 2016

Norwich man jailed 12 years for sex abuse

A man, who carried out a “campaign of abuse” on a young girl, has been jailed for 12 years and placed on the sex offender’s register for life.

Stephen Stroud, 47, of King Street, Norwich, admitted rape, attempted rape and sexual assaults on the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Jonathan Seely, prosecuting at Norwich Crown Court, said that Stroud had started to abuse the girl when she was 13 but it was only years later she found the courage to come forward to make a complaint to police about the sexual abuse.

Sentencing him, Judge Anthony Bate said that Stroud had been assessed as posing a “high risk” of harm to children and said he had carried out a “campaign of abuse” on the victim.

He said Stroud had now faced up to what he had done and had expressed a wish to understand his behaviour.

Judge Bate accepted Stroud had spared the victim coming to court: “You spared her the ordeal of reliving these traumatic events in front of a jury.