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August 2023
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This case focuses on a man named Clive McCleester, who has been sentenced to jail for the sexual abuse of two teenage boys over 40 years ago. This conviction results from a committed and exhaustive investigation, despite the hurdles posed by the historical nature of the crimes and the ongoing pandemic.
McCleester has been convicted of serious sexual offences, including indecent assault and gross indecency with a child. These are serious crimes under UK law. Indecent assault is an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 1956 and involves touching another person sexually without their consent. Gross indecency with a child is also a severe offence under the same Act and involves engaging in sexual activities with a child under 16. The nature of these crimes, combined with the offences committed against minors, would have resulted in a substantial custodial sentence, as we see here with McCleester's eight-year prison sentence and an additional eight years on licence. The latter means that McCleester will have to comply with specific conditions for eight years after his release, and failure to do so can result in his return to custody. In this case, the prosecution would have had to establish beyond reasonable doubt that McCleester committed the crimes. Due to the historical nature of the offences, this likely involved a detailed investigation into archival material, employment records, and medical reports. The challenges of such an investigation cannot be underestimated, given the time that has passed, the death of one of the victims, and the complications posed by the pandemic. McCleester's initial maintenance of his innocence likely complicated the investigation further. However, he eventually pleaded guilty to the offences, which will have been a factor in the court's decision to sentence him. This plea shows acceptance of responsibility, sometimes resulting in a lesser sentence. However, the court still imposed a significant sentence, given the severity and number of offences. In this case, the defence would likely have been tasked with examining the evidence for any inconsistencies or legal issues. Given McCleester's ultimate guilty plea, the defence may have recognised the strength of the evidence against him. Overall, this case highlights the commitment of law enforcement to pursue justice, even when faced with historical crimes. It also underscores the importance of providing support to victims of sexual offences, as the trauma and impact of such crimes can last for many years. The Met has specially trained officers and recommends various charities that can support victims, emphasising the importance of this aspect in dealing with such serious crimes. Possible Different Outcomes Of The Case Under the Sexual Offences Act 1956, the maximum penalty for indecent assault on a male could range from 2 to 10 years imprisonment, depending on the victim's age and other circumstances. The maximum penalty for gross indecency with a child was typically up to 2 years imprisonment. However, please note that sentencing highly depends on the case's specifics, including the number of offences, the severity of the offences, and the impact on the victims. In the case of Clive McCleester, he was charged with eight counts of indecent assault and two counts of gross indecency with a child. If he had been found guilty of all charges at trial, he could theoretically have faced a maximum sentence of many decades in prison. However, in practice, judges often impose concurrent sentences for multiple similar offences, which can reduce the total time served. If McCleester had pleaded guilty before the trial started, this could have reduced his sentence. In the English legal system, a guilty plea can reduce up to one-third of the maximum sentence. This is done to encourage guilty pleas, which can save the time and expense of a full trial and also spare victims and witnesses from the ordeal of giving evidence in court. The Case A "committed and relentless" investigation into reports of sexual abuse of boys more than 40 years ago has resulted in a man being jailed. At Inner London Crown Court on Monday, 10 July, Clive McCleester, 77 (05.08.45) of St Cross Road, Winchester was sentenced to eight years in jail and a further eight years on licence after he pleaded guilty to eight counts of indecent assault and two counts of gross indecency with a child, against two teenage boys. Detective Sergeant Hannah Stewart, from the Met’s Central Specialist Crime, said: “This has been a long and arduous investigation with McCleester maintaining his innocence throughout. We are pleased he has finally admitted his guilt just three days before we were due to take him to trial to present our case. “The initial victim survivor, having sadly passed away after giving police his evidence, was unable to hear the guilty verdict but his family represented him at court in his absence. The second victim survivor was also sexually abused and exploited by McCleester – a verger in his Cathedral. The impact to both at such a young age has been devastating. They have been extremely brave and shown tremendous strength and courage. “The officers involved in this case have worked relentlessly and shown incredible commitment to securing these convictions. Both victim/families feel they have been failed by institutions that were supposed to protect them. We hope they can feel an element of peace knowing that justice has been finally served. McCleester is a vile predator who has no place in society. “We urge anyone who has been a victim of McCleester to come forward to police. We will support you.” At the time of one of the offences McCleester was employed as a child welfare officer at Tylney Hall School in Hampshire, between 1960 and 1971. T he first victim was aged between 13 to 15-years-old at the time of the offences. McCleester resided at the boarding school in his own private residence and was assigned as a welfare officer to look after the victim following the death of his Grandmother. The abuse took place between 1 January 1969 and April 1971. The victim survivor disclosed his abuse to police after speaking with a counsellor. Sadly he will never know the final outcome of this investigation as he died in August 2020. Detectives remained in contact with his family throughout. Specialist Crime detectives launched an investigation. A second victim survivor came forward to police and disclosed the abuse he had also suffered at the hands of McCleester. He was around 13-years-old when he was abused by McCleester at Southwark Cathedral between 1 January 1984 and May 1987. He was a chorister at the Cathedral where McCleester was the Head Verger. He was abused at McCleester’s flat which was within the vicarage. Due to the time frame of the offences, specialist officers gathered and reviewed a vast amount of historical documentation to obtain the necessary evidence. They interrogated systems, old archived files and employment records from the local authority and Southwark Cathedral to trace individuals to assist with the investigation. Former pupils were traced and interviewed. They also obtained specialist medical reports to corroborate the two victim accounts. The pandemic hindered the investigation due to archives being closed. In February 2022 McCleester was charged with the offences mentioned. An initial trial was set for October 2022 but was deferred to 26 June 2023, where he pleaded guilty. Advice and details of charities that can offer support to victims of sexual offences can be found on the Met's website. The Met has specially trained officers who will listen and support you through the investigative process.
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A man who used a dating app to target and rob men after having sex with them has been sentenced to five years' in jail. Detectives are now appealing for others who may have been exploited by him to come forward. Anouar Sabbar, 28 (1.1.94), of Cole Street, Southwark was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday, 20 January. He pleaded guilty to robbery, theft, five counts of blackmail and five counts of fraud at the same court on 8 November 2021. Sabbar would seek out and meet men who have sex with men on Grindr, a dating app for gay, bi and trans people. After consensual sex, Sabbar would state he was an escort and demanded money from the victims. He also threatened to use violence or blackmail in order to intimidate the men, whose ages varied from 25-57-years-old. He stole a total of £2,360 between April 2019 and June 2021 from the victims. Once he got the money, Sabbar would block the victim’s profile on the app, which automatically removed the online conversation for both parties, making it difficult for him to be traced. Sabbar would swap his SIM cards and mobile phone number regularly and often changed his hairstyle so he wasn’t recognised. During one of the incidents, a victim refused to pay Sabbar so he told him someone will visit his address and beat him up. In another incident, Sabbar threatened to tell the victim’s girlfriend about their sexual encounter and disclose their chat history and photographs if he did not make payments. An officer investigating a robbery of one the victim’s in Tower Hamlets identified Sabbar as the suspect. She then compared similar offences and identified Sabbar from various phone numbers, addresses, aliases and usernames used. Once it was determined Sabbar was the suspect for the offences, a manhunt to arrest him began. On Tuesday, 31 July officers attended his home address. He was not at the address so they went to his place of work and spoke to colleagues, who provided a current phone number. An officer called him and Sabbar swore at her, telling her they would never catch him.
Later that day, officers found another address for Sabbar in Southwark through intelligence checks and he was arrested. A subsequent analysis of his phone revealed evidence of further incidents of the same nature. Sabbar gave a no comment interview and was charged with 23 offences including robbery, theft, blackmail and fraud. he was remanded into custody. Detective Inspector Arif Sharif said: “The victims in this case have been incredibly brave in coming forward and reporting the offences Sabbar committed against them. “Sabbar is a nasty and spineless individual who used Grindr to target victims and used their vulnerabilities against them. “It is with thanks to the officer who diligently carried out the investigation that this dangerous offender has been taken off the streets. “There may be others who were exploited by Sabbar who until now have felt unable to tell anyone. Please get in touch with us – we are here to listen to you and will take what you say incredibly seriously. You will be treated with sensitivity and in confidence. “In situations such as this, the Met is focused on the motive and behaviour of the offender, rather than the behaviour of the victim. I would therefore urge anyone who has been a victim of crime following a meet on Grindr or similar platforms to speak to us directly quoting Op Fardella. Alternatively contact us through a third party support group such as Galop or reach out 100% anonymously using the independent charity Crimestoppers.” Superintendent Martin Kirby the Met’s Lead for Hate Crime said: “We do not tolerate the targeting of victims based on their sexuality or gender, or perceived sexuality or gender, and anyone who does come forward to disclose an allegation of crime of this nature will be treated sensitively and in confidence. “We are working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to protect the identities of victims in these cases, recognising that some victims may not identify as gay or bisexual or be ‘out’ to friends or relatives, perhaps because of cultural reasons. I can also fully appreciate that some victims may feel embarrassed about coming forward, or are perhaps nervous about speaking to a police officer due to other factors. We are doing all we can, by working closely with other agencies, to give victims the support that is right for them. “In the Met we have 125 volunteer LGBT+ advisers who speak to our communities, listen to their concerns and encourage them to report crime. We’re working to recruit more and reviewing their role to make sure they are working in the best way possible for our communities. We have also set up a new LGBT+ Organisational Improvement Group, with stakeholders from across London, to ensure the Met understands and meets the needs of LGBT+ Londoners.” If you believe you or someone you know has been a victim, please call 101 quoting Op Fardella. In an emergency always call 999. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-uk.org. You can also contact the charity Galop by calling their LGBT+ hate crime helpline on 0207 704 2040 or visiting galop.org.uk. More: Women attacked in hotel rooms
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A dangerous man who sexually assaulted lone women in hotel rooms has been jailed.
On Thursday, 9 December, Hugo Delgado, 22 (10.08.99) of Navestock Crescent, Woodford Green appeared at Wood Green Crown Court where he was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. He had previously been found guilty, following a trial which concluded on 3 August, of assault by penetration, sexual assault and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence. He will spend a further four years on licence and will remain on the Sex Offenders' Register for life. The court heard how on the evening of 6 October 2019 at a hotel in Shoreditch, Delgado approached a lone woman and claims the room she was entering was actually his. The woman, who was aged in her 50s, showed him her key card and told him to discuss the issue with reception. At 22:51hrs, Delgado told reception staff he was the woman's husband and that he'd left his key in the room. They gave him a key card which he used to enter the room when he returned to the hotel just over four hours later at around 03:00hrs. Sometime after 05:00hrs, the woman was awoken by Delgado after he had sexually assaulted her. He was completely naked. She screamed and shouted for him to leave. He put his clothes on and fled. Police attended and viewed CCTV footage which showed Delgado leaving the hotel at 05:25hrs. An investigation by the Met’s Sapphire Unit was launched. At around 04:45hrs on 12 October 2019, a woman in her 20s who had been on a night out with friends in Shoreditch was approached in the street by Delgado. She walked off in the direction of Old Street and he followed behind. The next memory the woman had was waking up in a hotel room and witnessing Delgado performing a sexual act. She had also been sexually assaulted. The incident was reported to police later that morning. When officers went to the hotel they found Delgado in the room and arrested him. Enquiries revealed that earlier the same night, Delgado had tried to obtain key cards for two rooms at the hotel where the assault took place. He gave the wrong name for one of the rooms and the other wasn't occupied. He didn't manage to get keys for either room. The data from the room lock indicates that when he did finally gain access, it was because the door was open. The offences were committed at different hotels. In December 2019, officers from the Met’s Visual Images Identification and Detections Office (VIIDO) identified Delgado as the suspect from footage taken in the lift area of the first hotel. On 31 July 2020 he was charged with sexual assault, exposure and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence. He appeared before Thames Magistrates’ Court and was remanded in custody. On 24 February 2021, he was further charged with assault by penetration, attempted sexual assault and exposure in relation to the second victim. The charges followed a year-long investigation during which detectives went to great lengths to reassure witnesses who showed admirable bravery in giving evidence. Their participation was key in allowing the case to proceed. Accused of sexual assault ? The second victim provided an impact statement to the court in which she said: “He will go to prison but prison is a place like any other for someone with no ethics, values, ambitions or goals. Meanwhile, I am left with hours and hours of therapy, police phone calls, reminders of a trauma I hope will not follow me for the rest of my life and a challenge to find myself again and pick up from where I left off, despite what I'm still going through. “I still don’t know what happened to me and I’m not sure I want the police to tell me. All I need to know is that no one deserves this - no matter who they are, where they are and the state they are in. I’ve always been incredibly careful with whom I give my body. It had to be an act of love because otherwise, it went against my values and principles. Being raped smashed these principles, along with everything I was built on." Detective Constable Rob Johnston, the investigating officer from Sapphire Investigations, said: “It is undeniable that a very dangerous man has been taken off the streets. “I commend both of the victims for their courage and commitment in supporting the case. Without their support Delgado may have put further women at risk. "There is no doubt it is difficult for victims to report these offences and recount their experiences. We have specially trained officers dedicated to providing ongoing support, care and guidance. I’m satisfied with the outcome of the trial but I fully appreciate that these incidents may have lifelong effects on the victims. “I would encourage any further victims who have been assaulted but not reported the incident to come forward.” Whilst on remand awaiting trial, Delgado was charged with one count of exposure which was committed against a female prison officer. He pleaded guilty to this offence on the same day he was convicted in relation to the incidents detailed above. Anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault or rape or who has information about an offender, can contact police on 101 or, in an emergency, 999. There are specially trained officers who will listen and investigate where needed. Can you be convicted for historical sexual offences ? Further information, including details of agencies and charities that can offer support, can be found online. Source
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A man has been jailed for rape and indecency with a child after being found guilty of non-recent sexual abuse.
Graham Harrison, 56, (13/09/1965) of Newport St, Ryde, Isle of Wight was sentenced on Friday, 17 September following a two week trial at Wood Green Court in August. Harrison had pleaded not guilty, but was found guilty, after a unanimous verdict by the jury of: -Three counts of rape -Two counts of indecency with a child He was sentenced at the same court to six years in prison The court heard Harrison was aged between 14 and 17-years-old when he committed the multiple offences. The crimes took place in north London between 1979 and 1983 and started when the girl was just seven-years-old. It was during time when they were left alone that Harrison would make the little girl touch him sexually and also rape her. The victim came forward to police in 2017, more than 35 years after the initial offences, and an investigation was launched. DC Adam Downs, from the Serious Sexual Offences Team, based at Holborn Police Station, said: “Tackling violence against women and girls remains a priority for the Metropolitan Police Service. “Rape and other serious sexual offences are devastating crimes that can have a lasting impact on victims, their families and communities. “The sentence is a reminder that historic sexual abuse will always be taken seriously. It is never too late to report these types of offences. I would like to thank the victim for her strength and perseverance. “I would urge anyone who has been a victim to please report it. We will do all we can to investigate, so that perpetrators are brought to justice and victims receive the appropriate support. “We have specially trained officers who work closely with highly skilled, specialist and emphatic partners to ensure that anyone who has experienced rape, or sexual assault, can have the access they need.” Source
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A convicted child sex offender has been further sentenced for sexual offences against boys.
Peter Graham Wells, 75 (08.07.46) of no fixed address, appeared at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday, 10 September 2021. The court heard that Wells carried out the sexual abuse when he was employed as a teacher at a school in Enfield in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. Wells admitted two counts of gross indecency with a boy under the age of 14, and five counts of Indecent assault on a boy under the age of 14. sexual assault accusations ? He was given a further sentence of an additional 12 months imprisonment, with subsequent sentencing to run concurrent to his original sentence. The offences were committed against two boys and took place between 1977 and 1986. These were reported to police in 2018 and 2019, after Wells had been jailed for similar offences for which he was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in December 2018. Detective Constable Keith Kimberley said: “I am in no doubt that this man is a dangerous sexual predator and he poses an ongoing threat to children. “He caused unforgivable trauma to the children he abused and the only appropriate way for him to spend the next years of his life is in prison, and away from the general public. “As far as we can be sure of, Wells offended over a period of several decades and my respect goes out to the victims and their families who were put through so much. “The Public Protection teams across the Met work relentlessly to identify sexual offenders and prevent any harm coming to potential victims. In cases where predators gain access to victims and carry out abuse, we are also here to ensure they face justice.” Anyone who wishes to come forward and report a sexual offence, can do so in confidence. The Met has specially trained officers to investigate these types of cases and support victims through the criminal justice process.
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A former music teacher has been convicted of 32 sexual offences against young girls.
Ben Breakwell, 40 (17.10.1980) of Monkgate, York, was convicted on Monday, 2 August after a trial at Isleworth Crown Court. He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at the same court on a date to be determined. From 2014 until the end of 2017, Breakwell worked at a school in west London. The court heard how he abused his position as a music teacher to engage his young pupils in sexual activity. The offences related to sexual activity with three girls whose ages ranged from 13 to 16 and indecent images of a fourth. falsely accused of sexual harassment ? As Breakwell's offences came to light, a pattern emerged showing how he carefully groomed the girls in order take advantage of them. Breakwell began a full sexual relationship with two of his victims when they were aged just 13 and 14. A third victim, who was the object of Breakwell's attention, received flattery and supportive messages from him. During a lesson, Breakwell took advantage of their proximity to kiss her. The girl was upset and later told her friends and then her mother who confronted Breakwell. Breakwell denied he had deliberately kissed her. The victim later told police that she felt guilty about what had happened as she had bought him a box of sweets as a thank you present and thought that this may have encouraged him. She was also worried that there was nothing to support her account if she decided to tell the school. For these reasons no formal complaint was made. However, in September 2017, the friends of one of the victims approached a member of school staff. They told him of their suspicion about this inappropriate relationship involving Breakwell, The school immediately suspended him, police were alerted and an investigation began, led by specialist officers from the West Area Command Unit. After gathering evidence and speaking to the victims, Breakwell was arrested in November 2017. A search of his computer uncovered indecent images of another victim who did not live in this country, this girl was successfully traced by investigating officers and she and her family have been spoken to. Breakwell was interviewed about the matters, but denied that any sexual relationship had taken place between him and the girls. In February 2020, he was charged with multiple sexual offences. Detective Constable Ben Lawrence-Smith said: “My thoughts are with the young girls who were betrayed by Breakwell. They have all been incredibly brave and it is their courage in speaking out that has brought him to justice. "Breakwell deceived and abused these girls and then sought to evade any responsibility for his actions. They were manipulated to the point where some felt it was they who were doing wrong. The fact Breakwell was a teacher only compounds this gross betrayal of trust. “It is clear that Breakwell was a sexual predator who carefully manipulated these young girls in order to exploit them. His victims were very young and he led them to believe they were in love with him, knowing that if they cared for him they were less likely to alert anyone to his crimes. "It can be difficult for victims of sexual offences, especially when their abusers are people in positions of power and trust, to speak out. I would ask that if you suspect anyone to be at risk from similar manipulation and abuse, please tell someone, either a parent, a carer or someone in authority. “Due to the predatory nature of Breakwell’s crimes, it is possible there are further victims who have yet to come forward. If you or someone you know has been affected by Breakwell’s offending, or you have been a victim of a sexual offence, please come forward to police. Specially trained officers will be there to listen and support all allegations and work to bring offenders to justice." Source |