February 2014

IPSWICH STAR: Convicted paedophile, 79, jailed after fleeing to Caribbean to work with children for eight years

By Colin Adwent

A 79-year-old convicted paedophile who illegally fled to the Caribbean to work with children as Jehovah’s Witness has been jailed for two years.

William Rogers, formerly of Norwich Road, Ipswich, was caught when he returned to the UK from the Dominican Republic where he had been living for eight years.

Rogers came to Ipswich in 2003 after serving a seven-year sentence for abusing two girls under the age of 11 while he was a church elder.

He was released from prison on October 30, 2000, and was compelled to follow the notification requirements under the Sexual Offences Prevention Act.

After moving to Suffolk he was managed by officers in Ipswich’s public protection unit.

However, on May 12, 2006, officers discovered Rogers had left the Norwich Road premises where he had been staying.

It transpired he had given notice to quit in December 2005 and told at least one person he was moving abroad.

Subsequent enquiries revealed Rogers had made a withdrawal from his bank account in the Dominican Republic on May 8, 2006.

As part of his notification requirements he should have notified police that he intended to travel abroad for three days or longer. However, he failed to do so and was posted as ‘wanted’ by the authorities.

After living in the Caribbean for nearly eight years Rogers returned to the UK on January 15.

He arrived at Gatwick Airport after flying back from the Dominican Republic, via a connecting flight from Madrid.

Officials had been informed of Rogers’ impending return and he was arrested on arrival before being interviewed by Sussex police officers.

He told them he had been living in the Caribbean for the past eight years and had a residency permit to live there.

Rogers also said he is a Jehovah’s Witness and was doing missionary work in the Dominican Republic. He confirmed his work involved making house-to-house calls and also teaching children.

Rogers admitted failing to comply with the notification requirements within the terms of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 when he appeared before Ipswich magistrates.

His case was committed to Ipswich Crown Court where he was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

An order to prevent Rogers travelling abroad for five years was made at a further hearing before Ipswich magistrates.

Rogers was originally sentenced to seven years in jail at Harrow Crown Court on May 14, 1997, after being convicted of six sexual assaults on two young girls.

February 2014

Letchworth man jailed for sexually assaulting 14-year-old schoolgirl

A man has been jailed for six years for sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

Daniel Shead, 24, of Eastern Way in Letchworth GC, was sentenced to six years in prison at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday for committing series of sexual offences against a 14-year-old girl.

He was found guilty on January 13 of two counts of penetrative sexual activity with a child and one of non-penetrative sexual activity with a child between December 2012 and May 2013 in Letchworth GC.

Shead was also given a 10-year sexual offences prevention order prohibiting him from any unsupervised contact with females under the age of 16 and was placed permanently on the sexual offenders register.

The offences were investigated by Hertfordshire Constabulary’s HALO team, a police-led team dealing with child sexual exploitation in partnership with Hertfordshire Children’s Services, the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Board and other agencies.

Detective Constable Heather Sheldon from the HALO team led the investigation.

She said: “Partnership working led to the arrest of Daniel Shead for these offences. The sentence given to him fully reflects the seriousness of the crimes he committed and I hope this sentencing sends a clear message to others that we and our partners will do everything in our power to tackle these crimes.

“Partners are raising concerns which allow police to investigate and I would encourage the wider to community to consider the signs to look out for any report any concerns they may have.”

Anyone with concerns should call the Children’s Services on 0300 123 4043.

February 2014

Girl, 14, enticed into sending explicit video of herself to Louth man, 42, she met on Facebook

YOUNG girls and their parents were today warned to protect themselves against potentially dangerous online predators after a seedy incident that “turns the stomach of ordinary people”.

In what was a disturbing case, a schoolgirl sent a sexually explicit video of herself to a man she met over the internet, a court heard.

The incident was alarming because of the danger that a vulnerable girl would be exposed to the risk of being exploited, the court was told.

David Brown, 42, of Queen Street, Louth, admitted causing or inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity on February 15 last year.

Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that the mother of a 14-year-old girl looked through her daughter’s mobile phone and found that she had exchanged intimate messages with Brown.

The girl later sent him an explicit video of herself involved in sexual behaviour. He was identified and traced. They had first made contact via Facebook.

Andrew Bailey, mitigating, said Brown accepted he had a problem and that “treatment was the way forward” for it. Judge Paul Watson QC branded Brown’s actions “deplorable”.

He added: “It’s the sort of thing that turns the stomach of ordinary people that 14-year-old children can be exposed to the risk of contact with you over messaging services such as this, with little or no protection, and that there are people like you who will exploit it.

“I accept that you were not deliberately trying to take things further and you took no steps to do so.”

Brown was given a three-year supervision order, including a sex offender treatment programme, and 180 hours’ unpaid work.

He was given a five-year sexual offences prevention order and must register as a sex offender for five years. He was ordered to pay £480 costs and an £80 surcharge.

After the hearing, a spokesman for the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre said it was important that young children knew who they were talking to on the internet.

Parents could also get advice on how to talk about internet safety with their children.

Youngsters used the internet for information and to “explore” but it was important not to “blame them” for their internet use.

February 2014

Sex offender jailed for intimate liaison with underage girl in farm field – 3rd breach of SOPO

A PREDATORY sex offender, who breached restrictions placed on him by meeting a young girl for an intimate encounter, was today (Tuesday February 25) jailed for three-and-a-half years.

The illicit liaison with a 14-year-old girl, in a farm field off the A167 in County Durham, was Gary Steven Clifford’s third breach of a sexual offences prevention order (Sopo).

Durham Crown Court heard the girl’s disappearance from home in Ferryhill led to a search by her concerned family, on September 21 last year.

Sarah Mallett, prosecuting, said her brother drove past the field and spotted her sitting on a wall alongside a man with red hair who appeared to place his hand over her top.

Miss Mallett said the angry sibling wound down his car window and shouted: “Paedo!”

Clifford rode off on his bicycle, but the girl refused her brother’s offer of a lift and summoned ‘Gary’ back by phone.

Miss Mallett said a family “search party” found her in a field, sitting on a blanket beside Clifford, who fled when they approached.

The girl was taken home and the following day tearfully told her sister what took place, having agreed to meet the male, ‘Gary’, with whom she previously exchanged text messages.

She said she went to the rendezvous with a friend, but only she took part in sexual activity with Clifford.

Police were informed and recognised the description of his distinctive red Mohican-style hair cut, leading to his arrest.

He admitted what took place, claiming, however, that the girl previously told him she was 16-and-a-half.

But 23-year-old Clifford, of Pelaw Road, Chester-le-Street, admitted sexual activity with a child and two counts of breaching a Sopo at a previous hearing.

The court heard the order was imposed after his conviction for sexually assaulting a child under 16, in November 2009, which he first breached the following year by contacting another underage girl via social media.

Jane Waugh, for Clifford, told the court: “There’s little that can be said in mitigation other than his early ‘guilty’ plea and his frankness with police when interviewed.”

Jailing him, Recorder Ian Atherton told Clifford: “There are no mitigating features. You sought out and had sex with a child, who, due to her age, could not consent.”

Recorder Atherton said it was aggravated by his previous offences and Sopo breaches.

A new order was imposed, forbidding Clifford contacting girls under 16, while he will also be subject to registration as a sex offender, both for life.

September 2007

Sex offence police officer jailed

A detective constable who worked for a unit investigating cases of child abuse has been jailed for five years for sexually assaulting a teenager.

Peter Cooper, who has worked for West Midlands Police for 32 years, was sentenced at Stafford Crown Court for attacking an army cadet in the 1980s.

The 58-year-old, of Redditch, Worcestershire, was an officer with the army cadets when the attack took place.

Between 2002 and 2005 he investigated child abuse claims.

West Midlands Police said it dismissed him on 17 August after a misconduct hearing.

A force spokesperson said he had “let down his victim, the public, his colleagues and himself”. 

August 2007

Paedophile cop suspended on full pay

West Midlands Police is continuing to pay the salary of a former child protection officer convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy.

Detective Constable Peter Cooper, 58, was convicted last month of sexually assaulting the youth during his time as an army cadet instructor in the 1980s. West Midlands Police said the officer would remain suspended on full pay until he received a custodial sentence.

Cooper has served with the force for 32 years. He was assigned to the family protection unit, which investigates child abuse cases, from 2002 until 2005, when the allegations were made against him.

Deputy Chief Constable Phil Gormley said: “When complaints are made against officers we carry out robust, thorough and proportionate investigations to ensure the integrity of the organisation.

“This investigation has been conducted in that manner, resulting in a conviction for Peter Cooper, and we are clearly disappointed that this officer has failed to uphold the high standards of West Midlands Police.”

Mr Gormley added that the force would hold a misconduct hearing into Cooper’s case.

A jury at Stafford Crown Court found Cooper guilty of indecent assault last month, but failed to reach verdicts on five other counts.

Cooper, who denied the charges, is expected to be sentenced later this month. A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said the figure quoted for Cooper’s salary in the Times newspaper – #35,000 – was approximately right for an officer of his rank, but did not take into account other factors such as length of service.

February 2014

Man jailed over child abuse images and extreme beastiality pornography

A 55-year old man who was found guilty of making indecent images of children and possessing images of extreme pornography has been handed a 15-month prison sentence.

William John Bate, from Belfast’s Albertbridge Road, continues to deny the offences against him, despite being convicted by a jury following a trial held in the city’s Crown Court earlier this year.

He will spend seven-and-a-half months in custody with the remainder of the sentence spent on supervised licence.

During the trial, the jury heard that a total of 269 images of children were found on his laptop, 50 of which were in the two most serious categories.

Also found on his computer were images of extreme pornography, including 412 images of bestiality.

The offences came to light when police searched his east Belfast home.

He tried to shift the blame of the presence of the images onto a number of other people, including his elderly mother and a 12-year old child.

Bate’s barrister Mark Farrell spoke of the “limited timeframe” of offending, saying the images were transmitted to Bate’s laptop over a period from 19 July to 23 July, 2009.

Mr Farrell said his client was “an isolated man without meaningful employment or a meaningful relationship in life.”

Sentencing Bate on Tuesday, Judge Corinne Philpott QC told him that he had “failed to accept any form of responsibility”, even blaming a child for potentially putting the images in his computer.

She said: “Mr Bate, your conduct has been disgraceful.

“You tried every legal loophole you could take and you argued every technical point that you could argue. You blamed everybody possible for this behaviour, including the people who set the computer up for you.”

Before he was led to the cells, the Judge placed Bate on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and told him “you have shown absolutely no remorse at any stage.”

May 2007

Social worker banned after child abuse images conviction

A social worker from Lincoln has been banned from practising after being convicted of possessing indecent photographs of children and maintaining a “grossly offensive” website.

John Bennett breached the General Social Care Council’s code of practice for social care workers, the GSCC’s conduct committee ruled last week.

Bennett was convicted on 21 February and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for maintaining a website showing “obscene” and “menacing” content and for several charges of possessing and making indecent photographs of children.

Bennett, who was employed by Lincolnshire Council, was suspended from practising as a social worker when the GSCC was alerted to his arrest in March last year.

The GSCC’s conduct committee said after the hearing that the offences had taken place over a “substantial” period of time and that Bennett had failed to show insight “considering his seniority and direct experience of child protection issues”.

Bennett is the third social worker to be removed from the social care register.

Earlier this year, Southampton social worker Nicholas Martin was struck off for sending and receiving “offensive, discriminatory and obscene” e-mails.

Senior social worker Antony Peter Jacks was struck off last year over his relationship with a 14-year-old female service user at Huntercombe Stafford psychiatric hospital in the West Midlands.

June 2006

social worker struck off register

A senior social worker has become the first person to be struck off the General Social Care Council’s register for misconduct.

Anthony Peter Jacks, who had worked at Huntercombe Stafford psychiatric hospital in the West Midlands, was found guilty of misconduct over his relationship with a service user.

At a hearing in Manchester last week, the GSCC’s conduct committee found that Jacks’ relationship with a 14-year-old girl had breached its codes of practice.

Jacks did not attend the three-day hearing (Social worker ‘breached four codes of practice’ in dealings with girl, 14, 15 June).

In a separate case, Darlington social worker Yvonne Doyle was this week suspended from the register for two years for advertising herself as an escort with an internet agency that had links to websites associated with prostitution.

A GSCC conduct committee found she had brought social work into disrepute and damaged public confidence in social care services.

Jacks and Doyle can appeal to the Care Standards Tribunal.

July 2013

Ex vicar jailed for sex abuse

A retired Cumbrian clergyman has been jailed for eight months for indecently assaulting a teenage boy.

Andrew Folks, 70, who now lives in Winfield Road, Sedbergh, was priest-in-charge of Langdale, when he abused the 15-year-old who was visiting him at his home.

At Carlisle Crown Court today (Tues) he pleaded guilty to one charge of sexually assaulting the boy and one of attempting to.

He was also put on the sex offenders register for ten years.

The judge, Recorder Tina Landale, said that what he had done was a gross breach of trust.

Detective Constable Damian West, the investigating officer said: “The court appearance marks the end of a police investigation which only began due to the bravery of the victim and his family who had the strength to come forward and report what had happened all those years ago. This takes remarkable strength and they have remained our focus throughout the investigation.

“Cumbria police take allegations of sexual offences extremely seriously – no matter when the offences were committed. We would encourage any victims of crime to contact us and we will do all we can to support you and bring offenders to justice.”

February 2014

Wrexham pervert posed as Justin Bieber to groom girls on internet

A pervert posed as Canadian pop star Justin Bieber to groom young girls on the internet.

Defendant Richard Raymond Barlow, now 24, also pretended to be a teenage boy and even a young girl on music sites to meet children and young people.

Police who seized his computer found shocking scenes –  a naked girl aged seven indulging in a sex act on side of the screen while he exposed himself on the other.

Barlow had a fetish for feet and persuaded other girls to show their feet to him via his webcam.

Some children simply switched their computers off when he suggested they indulge in sex acts – but others naively agreed.

He had threatened some of them that if they did not do it he would upload films he had already made of them onto the Internet for their family and friends to see.

At Mold Crown Court today Barlow, of Big Arowry at Hanmer, Wrexham, was jailed for three years and ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

He admitted 16 charges – inciting a child aged seven to engage in sexual activity, three charges of engaging in sexual activity with a child over the internet, and a dozen charges of making indecent images and films after 2,200 images and 116 films were discovered on his computer.

Judge Peter Heywood said that Barlow must have been aware of the age of some of the children involved.

He admitted grooming children, watching children indulging in sex acts and using headphones and cameras to speak to them and to record some of what was going on.

The most serious offence involved a naked girl aged seven but others involved girls aged 10 and 11 who were clothed, the judge said.

Indecent images of children had also been downloaded off the internet.

He said: “It is clear that for a significant period of time you have had an unhealthy interest in this sort of activity.

“You engaged in conversation with young girls to encourage them to engage in sexual activity with them.

“Heaven  knows how they will be affected in their future lives.”

The downloaded images were also serious.

“They may seem to be only images but they are young children being exploited by others.

“Huge sums of money are made by people who have a prurient interest in this sort of material.”

There had been a degree of coercion and intimidation if the girls did not comply.

“I would be failing in my public duty if I did anything other than pass an immediate custodial sentence,” Judge Heywood explained.

Barlow was made the subject of a SOPO – a sexual offences prevention order- to curb his future activities.

Prosecutor Jonathan Austin told how the defendant lived with his parents and police seized computer equipment when they executed a search warrant at the address in September 2012.

He admitted using “Lucy Loves Music” and other identities on the internet as a way of chatting with children while posing as a much young person than the 22 and 23 he was at the time.

Asked if he had been looking at children on the internet he said that he did not know how old they were.

Later interviewed he made no comment.

The general theme was the abuse of young children with an element of grooming over the internet with the youngest being seven who was filmed while naked indulging in a sex act. Other girls were dressed aged ten and 11, said Mr Austin.

Some showed him their feet, which he accepted that he had a fetish for.

But he also made threats that if they did not comply he would hack into their computers and show videos he already had to others.

Owen Edwards, defending, said that it was a sad case of a young man with special educational needs who had pretended to be Justin Bieber, and others younger than himself, to entice naive young girls.

Some agreed but refreshingly others had switched their computers off.

“This behavior is shocking,” he said.

Barlow was genuinely remorseful and would take advantage of any courses while in custody, 

“He has to face up to what he has done and to face up to the sentence. He knows he is going to prison,” Mr Edwards said.

Barlow was a young man of good character who had been hard working in the retail trade but he gave it up because of the proceedings. He came from a good family and while his parents supported him they were mortified by what he had done.

The defendant was a shy introverted young man of limited intelligence living an isolated life.

“This is yet another of these sad examples of the internet opening up activities which would never have been indulged in had it not been there,” he said.

October 1996

Father gets 10 years for attack

A judge yesterday jailed a father for 10 years for abuse of his baby son, and said a social services decision to place the boy with him “beggared belief”.

Judge Ian MacLean told Philip Scammell and Jill Mills, who had had care of the child, that his death was “a merciful release”.

Scammell, 28, of Calmore, Hampshire, was given the maximum sentence for cruelty. Mills, 38, of Totton, who admitted causing grievous bodily harm and cruelty, was jailed for six years.

Southampton Crown Court was told that 21-month-old Ryan Crossett had both ankles broken, a fractured skull, and was covered in bite marks and burns. He had been held against a boiling radiator and had a key screwed into his neck. Although Ryan’s death was caused by a respiratory illness, post-mortem examinations showed that he had suffered the most appalling cruelty and neglect.

Asking if social services were conducting an inquiry, the judge added: “I would like to know whether an unoccupied house, cold without heating, full of beer bottles … is a suitable home for a child to be placed.”

The court was told Ryan’s body was discovered at Mills’s home on 18 February. Nicholas Haggan, prosecuting, said Ryan’s mother had been in a relationship with Scammell in 1993, but they had split up before his birth.

She was unable to cope with the child and Ryan was placed in care. “So it came about that social services of Hampshire County Council made arrangements for the child to be placed with his father, who lived in the area.” Scammell asked Mills to look after Ryan at her home.

A spokesman for Hampshire Social Services said an independent review carried out at the request of Hampshire County Council Social Services “found no single agency or individual was to blame” but “identified a series of shortcomings in … communications and procedures”. She said the recommendations of an internal review were being considered.

Sentencing Scammell and Mills, the judge told them that it was the gravest case of its kind he had come across: “No one will ever know the truth about the way you brutalised that little boy. It was a merciful release when he died, because who knows what you would have thought of next.”

February 2014

Mark Maynard jailed for 13 years for historic sex abuse

A TOTTON man has began a 13 year jail sentence for historic sex abuse after his young victim reduced her teacher to tears.

Mark Maynard, 57, was convicted at Southampton Crown Court of five charges of sexual assault.

His offending came to light when the girl approached her teacher at a Southampton school and told her “I want him to stop”.

The woman told the court how she then took the matter to the headmaster and was so upset that she burst into tears.

Maynard, of Water Lane, Totton, denied the allegations, saying they had not happened.

But jurors disbelieved him, taking about 75 minutes to reach their verdict.

February 2014

Renowned concert pianist has been jailed for eight years after being found guilty of indecently assaulting music pupils

John Briggs had denied assaults on five boys aged 10 to 15 between 1969 and 1993.

Bradford Crown Court heard the victims were sea cadets and boys having piano lessons.

Mr Briggs, 65, of Little Lane, East Morton, in West Yorkshire, has performed at high-profile venues across the world.

July 2013

WHITECROOK teenager convicted of a sex attack on a 12 year-old girl has been locked up for 18 months

Michael McBride pounced on the youngster in John Knox Street, Clydebank, in April last year after he and his victim had been drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis.

The 16 year-old denied the charges against him but he was found guilty of assaulting the girl with intent to rape after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow in May.

It emerged during the trial before judge Lord Kinclaven that McBride, who was 15 at the time of the offence on April 7 last year, had spent the afternoon drinking and smoking with the 12-year-old and two teenage friends, a boy and girl, in and around the Whitecrook Park area.

Later that day a woman who had been looking out her flat window on adjacent John Knox Street called the police after seeing a boy wearing a grey track suit lying on top of a girl.

Although McBride, of North Elgin Street, did not dispute he was the boy in question he denied all the allegations against him and claimed he had simply been trying to help the girl who had become sick after drinking alcohol.

Giving evidence on the fourth day of the trial, McBride insisted he was innocent and told the court the female witness who alerted police “must have been mistaken”.

He also accused his friends of telling lies in an effort to keep themselves and the 12 year-old out of trouble.

A jury of 13 men and one woman found McBride not guilty of rape but convicted him of the lesser charge by a majority verdict.

Last week when McBride was back in the dock to hear his fate, his lawyer Lorraine Glancy urged the judge to hand her client an alternative to custody.

Miss Glancy said the teenager was considered a “low risk” of further sexual offending and had been assessed as someone who was suitable for a community-based disposal.

However, Lord Kinclaven told McBride he had been convicted of a “serious” offence and that there was no option but to lock him up.

He added: “The fact remains you have been convicted of a sexual assault against a young child. I am satisfied that there is no alternative to a custodial sentence.”

The judge added factors such as McBride’s age meant he could show “greater leniency” in deciding how long McBride will spend behind bars.

February 2014

Two men and a teenage boy from London jailed for raping 16 yr old Ipswich girl

Two men and a boy are facing a total of 16 years imprisonment after a 16 year old girl was held against her will and raped.

Jama Abdullahi, aged 23 years of Camel Road, London, Badrdyen Saeed, aged 20 years from Camel Road, London and a 17 year old boy appeared at Ipswich Crown Court today, Wednesday 26 February having been found guilty at an earlier hearing held in January.

Jama Abdullahi, who had been found guilty of rape and false imprisonment, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment;

Badrdyen Saeed, who had been found guilty of rape and false imprisonment, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment; and

The 17 year old boy from London who was found guilty of false imprisonment was sentenced to an 18-month rehabilitation order, a 6 month supervision order and given a 13-week curfew.

The court heard that the 16 year old girl had visited a flat in Foxhall Road, Ipswich at around 2pm on Sunday 30 June 2013 to meet with the 17 year old boy and two men after exchanging texts with them.

After entering the flat she was shown to a rear room by the 17 year old and he told her that one or more of his friends wanted to have sex with her, which she stated she did not want to do. The boy then left the room locking the door behind him.

Badrdyen Saeed then entered the room and orally raped the girl. When he left he locked the door behind him.

Jama Abdullahi went into the room a short while later and also forced her to perform oral sex against her will before allowing her to leave the flat.

The victim made her way home and reported the matter to police that evening. Police attended the address in Foxhall Road and arrested Badrdyen Saeed, Jama Abdullahi and the 17 year old that night.

All three were found guilty at court on 28 January and sentenced today, Wednesday 26 February.

Detective Constable Annabel Hicks who carried out the investigation said: “Abdullahi, Saeed and the 17 year old had come to Ipswich from London and set up a drug den at the address in Foxhall Road. They preyed on their victim, luring her to the flat by sending her text messages. On the day in question she came to the flat and made it clear that she had no intention of having sex with anyone, but was held against her will and orally raped by the two men.

“The girl was incredibly brave to contact the police the same day and was able to identify the flat so we were able to make the arrests that evening.

“I hope the sentencing today will provide some comfort to the victim and will also give others the confidence to come forward and report incidents such as this.

 ”The victim has, and will continue to receive support to help her through, what I am sure has been a very difficult time.”

Detective Chief Inspector Mike Bacon who oversees the work of the Gemini Team at Suffolk Police who are dedicated to investigating sexual offences said: “Today’s sentencing has come at the end of a detailed and thorough enquiry not only carried about by the Gemini Team but assisted by response and CID officers who assisted with the arrests and investigation.

“Sexual offences are always taken seriously by Suffolk Police and I echo the words of DC Hicks; I hope that the sentencing will not only reassure people about the work we do, but give people the confidence to come forward and report incidents to us if they have been a victim of a sexual assault.”

February 2014

Man jailed for luring young boy to his Pitsea flat

A MAN has been jailed for 11 months after luring a boy to his flat with the promise of cakes, sweets and petting his dog.

Michael Saunders, 47, admitted one count of child abduction when he appeared at Basildon Crown Court.

Worried neighbours who saw Saunders take the child alerted his parents, who rushed round to get him back.

The child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was unharmed.

Saunders, from Pitsea, was jailed for ten months for child abduction and one month for breaching a conditional discharge when he appeared at Basildon Crown Court.

He was also made subject of a restraining order and must not contact the boy or his family for ten years.

The court heard the victim was playing in the street outside his Pitsea home on August 8 last year. Saunders was walking his dog when the boy asked if could take the animal to the shops.

The court heard Saunders agreed, but said he would have to ask the boy’s parents for permission.

He said the boy had to go with him to his flat so he could write down his contact details.

The boy expected to find sweets and cake in the flat, but when he arrived, there was nothing except an open laptop computer. A couple of minutes later, they left the flat after Saunders spotted the boy’s father and a group of neighbours making their way over.

Saunders admitted one count of child abduction.

A second count of child abduction was ordered to lie on file.

There were images of male pornography in Saunders’ flat, but it is not believed the boy saw them, the court heard.

Saunders initially faced sexual allegations in relation to the incident, but these were later dropped.

Addressing him, Judge John Lodge said: “You, as a much older man, invited a boy in to your flat and you must have appreciated that you caused considerable concern and distress to the boy’s parents because they did not know where he was.

February 2014

A pensioner who kissed a 12-year-old girl has been banned from Tavistock on Saturdays for 8 years

Leslie Clarkson, aged 75, is also banned from entering an approximate 400 yard radius of the victim’s house and received a suspended prison sentence of 18 weeks as well as being required to sign the sex offenders register.

Clarkson, of Alexandra Road, Mutley, previously pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault on a child under the age of 13.

Sentencing him in Plymouth Crown Court, Judge Paul Darlow, said his actions had taken a profound effect on the young girl who her father said in a statement was now nervous and frightened.

The court heard that although Clarkson had no previous convictions, it was not the first time his actions with young people had cause for concern.

Judge Darlow said: “This is not the first time you have behaved inappropriately towards young girls.

“Previous incidents in 2008 when you were seen to be behaving inappropriately to a six-year-old.

“In 2012 again the police had reason to talk to you about over familiar behaviour with a 14-year-old in a park. Despite this police warning you go on to commit this offence in September 2013.”

In September last year the court heard that the pensioner “engineered” the opportunity to kiss the child.

He said: “You created the opportunity to inappropriately kiss a 12-year-old at the same time putting your arm around her and attempting to put your tongue in her mouth. She found the incident vile and disgusting. She has suffered lasting psychological impact; her father tells me that and her own statement tells me that.”

The judge added: “Your attitude to this has disturbed the probation officer.”

Sentencing the pensioner, Judge Darlow told Clarkson the risk he posed could be dealt with in the community and would be backed up by a penalty should he refuse to adhere to the order.

Clarkson is banned from working with young people and vulnerable adults, banned from entering Tavistock on Saturdays for eight years, banned from an approximate 400yard radius of the victim’s home and given two years of supervision as well as his name going on the sex offenders register.

February 2014

Predator contacted girl, 14, hours after jail release – got her pregnant and bullied her into abortion

A sexual predator from Plymouth who contacted a 14-year-old just hours after being freed from prison has been jailed after he made her pregnant and bullied her into having an abortion.

Stephen Lobb seduced the victim despite having been jailed for making another under age girl pregnant. He contacted her on the day after he was let out.

When the girl from Plymouth became pregnant he told her to ‘get rid of it’ and then left her for another girl who was only a few months older.

Lobb, aged 20, formerly of Paradise Road, Plymouth, but now living in Carlton Road, Torquay, admitted four offences of sexual activity with children and was jailed for three and a half years at Exeter Crown Court.

Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, told him:”In April 2012 you were sentenced to eight weeks in a Young Offenders’ Institution for eight weeks for sexual activity with a child under 16, who had become pregnant as a result of what you did. That was extremely lenient.

“You were released on May 30 and the following day you contacted a 14-year-old girl. As a result of that you were arrested but the case was discontinued and you were released.

“You should have learned your lesson and kept well away but on the next day, knowing full well her age, you contacted her and persuaded her to have sex with you

“You had sex with her ten to 12 times and she says she was always reluctant but you persisted. You did not use contraception and in October she became pregnant.

“You told her to ‘get rid of it’, which is not a very nice way to speak to a young girl of that age. She had a termination and you told her not to tell her mother about you.

“That would have been bad enough, but you went on to have sexual intercourse with another girl of 15. She said no on the first occasion because of her age but you persuaded her.

“You must have known these girls were under 16. The law is there to protect young girls from their own folly and from predation from young men like you.

“Offences like these frequently cause quite severe psychological consequences. You flouted the law in a most disgraceful fashion.”

Mr David Sapiecha, prosecuting, said the 14-year-old girl met Lobb in Plymouth shortly after his release from his previous sentence and the relationship carried on despite his re-arrest and release for grooming her.

He told her to have an abortion when she became pregnant but did not go with her to the clinic and his only contact afterwards was a Facebook invitation to meet some months later.

He befriended the second girl who was just 15 and had sex with her three or four times. When arrested he claimed both girls were liars.

Miss Anne Bellchambers, defending, said Lobb has already taken courses in jail to help him find work on his release and is keen to attend courses which will address his attitude to women and improve his social skills.

February 2014

Former teacher jailed for 30-year-old sex offences committed on boys in Surrey and Kent

A man who dodged jail for 30 years after sexually molesting school boys when he was teaching at a grammar school has been jailed.

Kevin Copestake, 61, of High Street, Northwold, will serve five years behind bars after admitting a series of offences committed while he worked as a teacher in Tonbridge, Kent, and a school in Surrey.

He was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court yesterday.

Copestake pleaded guilty to three offences of indecent assault involving one boy at the Judd School in Tonbridge and indecency with a child, and inciting a boy to watch a sexual act while at the Surrey school.

Copestake had previously denied the charges but the court heard how he had groomed the Tonbridge boy from the age of 13.

Daniel Fugallo, prosecuting, said Copestake, who taught History and PE, had invited the boy to his flat for extra tuition.

He then showed him pornographic magazines and sex acts were committed when they had a bath together, according to Mr Fugallo.

He added that the boy felt “powerless to say no” because Copestake was a teacher.

Another boy was also invited to Copestake’s flat, where he was shown pornography and encouraged to perform a sex act on himself.

Those acts were reported to the police but no action was taken. Copestake was sacked in 1982.

At the Surrey school where he worked as a sports instructor and handyman he had taken two boys his houseboat in Chichester and persuaded them to perform a sex act on themselves.

Despite one of the boys reporting it he was not prosecuted but was finally charged after the assault victim from The Judd School recently came forward.

When sentencing him, Judge Michael Carol drew a comparison between Copestake’s earlier denials and final guilty plea to the original denials of sex abuse by BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall who was ultimately jailed after he did an about turn and pleaded guilty.

He added that it was a “gross breach of trust.”

“Children you were there to look after and protect were abused by you,” he said.

“You thought you could get away with it and for many years you did. You lied your way out of your criminal behaviour.”

In addition to the jail sentence the judge also imposed an indefinite sexual offences prevention order, ordered that Copestake’s name must appear on the sex offenders’ register, again indefinitely, and banned him from working with children.

February 2014

Devon County Council driver jailed for abuse of schoolgirl in gritter cab

A retired county council gritter driver has been jailed for abusing a schoolgirl in the cab of his lorry 40 years ago.

Gerald Boston befriended the victim and molested her after offering to give her lifts in the vehicle.

He took her to a layby next to the railway sidings at Pear Tree Cross in Ashburton and showed her pornographic magazines before touching her.

Widower Boston, aged 77, was jailed for five years at Exeter Crown Court after a judge heard he has previous convictions for touching an 11-year-old girl and breaking a Sexual Offences Prevention Order by harbouring a child runaway at his home.

Boston, of Bradley Court, Highweek, Newton Abbot, denied four offences of indecent assault but was found guilty. All the offences were against the same victim when she was aged ten to 13 in the 1970s.

Judge Phillip Wassall told him:”I am quite satisfied you have a sexual interest in young girls. The victim in this case gave a compelling account of the impact the abuse has had on her personal and professional relationships.

“She has been unable to settle in life and has sought counselling and therapy to try to deal with the damage caused to her.

“You abused her so many times over a three year period that she cannot remember how often it happened. The impact was such that when she met you many years later she was rigid with fear.

“This is a very serious case because of the extent of the abuse, the amount of time over which it took place and the effect it has had on the victim.”

The Judge jailed Boston for five years, ordered him to register as a sex offender for life and made him subject to an order preventing his unsupervised contact with children on his release.

During a three day trial the victim told the jury she was repeatedly abuse by Boston in the cab of his Devon County Council highways department lorry and on occasions he showed her magazines and told her she would soon look like the women in them.

Boston told the jury the allegations could not be true because he was never allowed to use his lorry outside working hours.

He said he always drove to and from the depot in his private car and left the truck there when he finished his shift. He denied touching the girl or ever being alone with her.