A 35 year old man has been jailed after he bound, gagged and sexually abused a teenager with learning difficulties.
Fifty Shades of Grey Influence
Bradford Crown Court heard that Joseph Maxwell Spencer took photos of the girl crying out in distress whilst wearing lingerie after he was inspired by the film Fifty Shades of Grey.
Spencer was sentenced to seven years in jail after a jury found him guilty of causing or inciting the teenager to engage in sexual activity and eight charges of making indecent photos of the girl. The 35 year old was cleared of a further three allegations of having sex with the teenager when she was 15.
Judge Peter Benson, sentencing, told the court that Spencer ‘ruthlessly exploited the girl to satisfy his own pleasures’. The judge went on to explain that the girls learning difficulties resulted in her to behave more like a child of seven or eight than a girl of fifteen or sixteen. He added that after watching Fifty Shades of Grey, Spencer ordered a bondage kit based on the film online.
The judge told Spencer:
‘You exploited her vulnerability in a ruthless way and acquired a bondage kit based on the film Fifty Shades of Grey, and she was forced to dress up in it.
‘It consisted of a gag, handcuffs, a red and black basque and a whip.’
Indecent Photographs
During Spencer’s trial, the court was shown photographs of the girl in indecent positions wearing the red and black basque that were taken by Spencer. The court was also shown two video clips, containing footage of Spencer having sex with the girl whilst she cried out in distress.
Judge Benson went on to say:
‘It was a most disgusting picture and you were acting with a degree of brutality which I am sure the jury found quite shocking.’
Spencer was arrested when a teacher of the schoolgirl saw the pair holding hands, after which police found the photos and videos of the girl on his computer.
Defending Spencer, Nicholas Barker told the court that he had suffered throughout his life, having previously fought as a child soldier in Liberia. He also added that the 35 year old was usually of good character and that the images of the girl dressed in bondage attire were all taken the day after her 16th birthday.
Sentencing
Along with his custodial sentence, Spencer was ordered to sign the sex offenders register and the judge made a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning Spencer from having unsupervised contact with children and approaching or contacting the girl.
Following the trial, Detective Constable Donna Hector, of the Bradford District Safeguarding Unit, said:
‘Spencer befriended his victim and her family then took advantage of her vulnerabilities to sexually exploit and degrade her.
‘I hope the sentence he has received today will be of some comfort to her and help her to move forward with her life.
‘We would also like to thank our partners in education who first brought Spencer’s inappropriate behaviour to our attention.
‘Police in Bradford District are committed to protecting the vulnerable and would urge anyone with concerns about exploitation to report them to our specialist officers, who will investigate every report with the aim of bringing perpetrators to justice.’
Sexual Abuse – Expert Advice
Hampson Hughes Solicitors specialises in directing sexual abuse claims in a considerate and compassionate manner. Our Abuse & Criminal Injuries Department is headed by Greg Neill – Greg is a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL).
For an open and friendly conversation about your situation, and to find out how we can assist you relevant to your individual experience, call 0800 888 6 888 or email .
You will be given the direct-dial of your case handler, meaning that you will always be able to reach the person you need.
A 32 year old man has pleaded guilty to a series of serious sexual offences against a young boy.
Serious sexual offences
Ajay Jetha admitted three serious sexual offences at Leicester Crown Court, including actual bodily harm and taking indecent photos of a child.
The attack took place in a Leicester park on 13 October last year and Jetha was arrested on 16 October and charged the following day.
Leading the investigation, Detective Inspector Tony Yarwood said:
“Jetha left his home address with, it appears, the sole and deliberate intention of finding a child to attack and assault for his own gratification.
“The evidence gathered against him by a team of highly experienced and determined investigators was overwhelming, and it was the sheer weight of that evidence that I believe helped persuade him to plead guilty in court today.
“But the most significant factor in our investigation was the courage shown by the boy himself, in coming forward to report what had happened to him; and I would like to pay tribute to him and to his family for their bravery and fortitude which has been truly humbling.
“From the day of the attack, he and his family have shown immense courage and strength. It has been a harrowing experience for them, yet throughout they have never wavered and are determined to move on from this.”
Previous hearing
The 32 year old had already admitted two counts of sexual assault, nine counts of making indecent photographs, two counts of taking indecent photographs, one count of possession of indecent images and one count of false imprisonment at previous hearings.
The parents of the victim, known as Child A, have said:
“Finally, after making our child and our family wait all this time we are pleased that he has pleaded guilty today and spared our son the trauma of having to go through the horrific details of what happened to him all over again.”
Head of crime for Leicestershire Police, detective chief superintendent David Sandall, added:
“Throughout this investigation I have urged the public and media not to speculate on the details of the offence, or about the boy’s identity. I am committed to do everything we can to safeguard him and to protect his right to dignity.
“Although Jetha has today admitted attacking the boy, my request to you remains the same. The boy was subjected to a serious assault and is now courageously trying to rebuild his life. We can all support him in that process by not trying to second guess further details about the case or sharing rumours on social media.
“I also recognise this incident had an impact on the whole community and want to extend my thanks to them for their support and sensitivity though out the investigation and court process.”
Sexual Abuse – Expert Advice
Hampson Hughes Solicitors specialises in directing sexual abuse claims in a considerate and compassionate manner. Our Abuse & Criminal Injuries Department is headed by Greg Neill – Greg is a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL).
For an open and friendly conversation about your situation, and to find out how we can assist you relevant to your individual experience, call 0800 888 6 888 or email
You will be given the direct-dial of your case handler, meaning that you will always be able to reach the person you need.
Former Sunderland and England footballer Adam Johnson has today received a six year prison sentence for sexual activity with a child.
In January 2015 the professional footballer was convicted of performing a sex act on a 15 year old child. He also admitted to grooming and kissing the school girl, two offences he had strenuously denied right up until the first day of his trial in March this year.
Following his trial, the 28 year old was found guilty by a majority verdict of performing a sex act on the teenager in his Range Rover, having arranged to meet her by a Chinese takeaway near her family home.
Having amassed a total of twelve caps playing for his country, it was noted during sentencing that Johnson has now been stripped of these accolades.
Sentencing
According to the Guardian, Johnson showed no emotion as he was sentenced at Bradford Crown this afternoon. Judge Jonathan Rose, sentencing, told him:
“All of this is entirely your own responsibility and fault.”
Adding that Johnson’s victim had suffered ‘severe psychological harm’, the judge continued:
“Your standing and your offending are the only reason this child has suffered abuse.
“That was known to you – to put it another way she had only just turned 15 when you began grooming her, because as you were to admit you found her sexually attractive.”
Judge Rose went on to say that in full knowledge of the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, being under the age, his intention was to engage in sexual activity with her.
“You continued in your grooming of this girl even after you were engaged in sexual activity with her. You wanted no-one to know that you and she were exchanging messages.
“You asked her to find a place to meet that was private and secluded so no-one would see you in her company.”
He added:
“You made a deliberate decision to engage in sexual activity with this young girl, no doubt in the expectation that you would get away with it.
“Your future as a professional footballer must be in doubt.”
Along with his six year prison sentence, Johnson was ordered to pay £50,000 of the prosecution’s £67,132 costs.
A “calculated, considered and carefully-orchestrated” crime
Kate Blackwell, prosecuting, had previously told the court that Johnson should be jailed for up to 10 years, after he carried out a “calculated, considered and carefully-orchestrated” crime.
She went on to say that the offences committed against the victim have left the teenager with suicidal thoughts and “severe psychological harm”.
Blackwell said that the school girl has had to attend counselling sessions for her suicidal thoughts as well as for depression and anxiety. The prosecutor read out the teenager’s victim impact statement to the court in which she stated that she had been continuously bullied and that her schoolwork had suffered as a result of the case.
The prosecution also told the court that Johnson’s sister and others who were close to the former midfielder had “openly encouraged and promoted” his fans to “repeatedly and doggedly” abuse the victim on social media.
Adding that Johnson “was in the habit of meeting girls on the way back from training to have sex” with them in secret locations, Blackwell said that the footballer still represents a threat to young women.
Lucrative career lost
Defending Johnson, Orlando Pownall, said:
“He has lost a lucrative career he will never be able to retrieve. He has been stripped of his England caps and it might be said deservedly. He has been made the subject of national humiliation. These are all aspects of punishment that arise from his pleas and from his conviction.”
Pownell added that although Johnson has a “compulsive attitude towards engaging in sexual activity”, he is not a “predatory paedophile”.
DI Aelfwynn Sampson, of Durham Constabulary, said:
“This is a carefully considered and significant sentence which sends out a clear message.
“Fame, celebrity and a position of power does not give you the right to break the law in pursuit of whatever you desire. Members of the public are clearly entitled to express their opinions but the law remains clear and Adam Johnson broke it.”
“The age of consent is clear. It is set at 16 to protect young people from adults and also themselves. Johnson, a 28-year-old man, picked out a 15-year-old girl. His sexual intentions to the girl were clear as he admitted himself while giving evidence.
“He pleaded guilty to grooming her for sexual activity fully knowing how old she was from the start. She never lied about her age to him. He groomed his victim and gave her his personal phone number, arranged to meet her and gave her special gifts of signed shirts.
“Over a period of time they exchanged hundreds of messages. He made her feel special and admitted flirting with her to manipulate the schoolgirl in an attempt to satisfy his sexual desires.
“This girl should have been safe but she was used by the public figure she looked up to most. I hope today will bring some closure for her and her family. This case demonstrates that victims of these crimes will be taken seriously and perpetrators will be dealt with robustly.”
Sexual Abuse – Expert Advice
Hampson Hughes Solicitors specialises in directing sexual abuse claims in a considerate and compassionate manner. Our Abuse & Criminal Injuries Department is headed by Greg Neill – Greg is a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL).
For an open and friendly conversation about your situation, and to find out how we can assist you relevant to your individual experience, call 0800 888 6 888 or email
You will be given the direct-dial of your case handler, meaning that you will always be able to reach the person you need.
Ched Evans, the former Sheffield United striker who was imprisoned for rape in 2012, is today to have his conviction reviewed by Appeal Court judges.
Evans was found guilty of raping a 19 year old woman at a hotel in Rhyl, Wales and was convicted in April 2012. He was released in October 2014, after serving half of his 5 year sentence.
The 27 year old former Welsh international admitted having sex with the woman, however he has always maintained his innocence, claiming the encounter was consensual.
CCRC Investigation & Appeal
After a 10-month investigation by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), responsible for investigating possible miscarriages of justice, it was revealed in October 2015 that new evidence had surfaced. Following the announcement of the new evidence, which the CCRC said ‘raises a real possibility the Court of Appeal may now quash the conviction’, Evans’ case was referred to the Court of Appeal.
During a two day hearing at the Court of Appeal in London, Lady Justice Hallett, Mr Justice Flaux and Sir David Maddison will review the case and make the decision to uphold Evans’ conviction, quash his conviction or demand a retrial.
Their decision will be made following submissions from Kieran Vaughan QC, for Evans, and also from Eleanor Laws QC, for the Crown. The victim will also have had to provide the CCRC with a new statement. According to reports, details of the legal argument cannot currently be reported.
Following the announcement of the decision to review Evans’ conviction, CCRC chair Richard Foster said:
‘The decision of the commission is not a judgment on guilt or innocence in relation to Ched Evans, nor is it a judgment about the honesty or integrity of the victim or any other person involved in the case.
‘Our role is to consider applications to see if, in our judgment, there is any basis on which to ask the court to hear a fresh appeal – that is our statutory responsibility.
‘In this case we have identified new material which was not considered by the jury at trial and which, in our view, might have assisted the defence.
‘In those circumstances, it is right and proper for the matter to be before the court so that they can decide whether or not the new information should affect the verdict in this case.’
Following his conviction, Sheffield United FC terminated Evans’ contract and he has not played professional football since his release from prison in 2014. He was initially offered to train with his former club; however Sheffield withdrew their offer after major backlash from supporters all over the UK. This included Olympian and lifelong fan of the club, Jessica Ennis-Hill, who said that her name would have to be removed from their stand if Evans returned.
The hearing continues.
Sexual Abuse – Expert Advice
Hampson Hughes Solicitors specialises in directing sexual abuse claims in a considerate and compassionate manner. Our Abuse & Criminal Injuries Department is headed by Greg Neill – Greg is a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL).
For an open and friendly conversation about your situation, and to find out how we can assist you relevant to your individual experience, call 0800 888 6 888 or email
You will be given the direct-dial of your case handler, meaning that you will always be able to reach the person you need.
A 21 year old man has recently received a jail sentence for child sexual abuse – he began seeing his girlfriend when she was just 13 years old and he was 17.
In 2014, Ashli Blake leaped to her death by jumping from a monument in Rockbourne, Hampshire, following an argument with her boyfriend, Marcus Webb. Police discovered explicit photos of Miss Blake on Mr Webb’s mobile phone during their investigation into her death.
Trial
During his trial at Bournemouth Crown Court, it was revealed that during their relationship Webb would convince Miss Blake to perform vulgar acts during their numerous Skype conversations. Miss Blake would also send lewd photos of herself to Webb via Facebook upon his instruction.
Despite Ashli’s mother, Canasta, prohibiting Webb from entering Ashli’s room when he was in their house – and the young couple’s claims to have never engaged in sexual activity – Ashli discovered she was pregnant in 2012. Simon Jones, prosecuting, said:
‘The mother was not happy with the relationship because of the age gap. She allowed him to come to the house but he was not allowed in her bedroom.
‘She told him “you should not be sleeping with my daughter because of her age”‘.
‘The defendant told her he wasn’t sleeping with her but a few days later her mother found out she was pregnant and kicked him out.’
According to Mr Jones, Ashli wanted to keep the child, while her mother advised her to have a termination. Ashli took her mother’s advice and had an abortion, Mr Jones added:
‘Ashli’s mother told the police her daughter wanted to keep the baby but Ashli accepted advice and had a termination.’
In the months following the abortion, Webb mocked Ashli, even sending her a Mother’s Day card which was reported to the police.
Webb was soon apprehended and cautioned by Dorset Police for ‘engaging in sexual activity with a girl of 13’. Mr Jones told the court that this ordeal had a great impact on Ashli’s mental state and thus contributed to her death.
Shortly before Ashli died in the September of 2014, she sent Webb a text message, part of which read:
‘If we can’t be together I don’t want to be here.’
Sentencing
After admitting inciting sexual activity with a child and causing a child to take part in sexual activity, Mr Webb was jailed for four years.
Judge Brian Forster, sentencing, said there were ‘No words available to describe the impact of her death on her family.’
He added:
‘I accept you were both involved in a relationship and I accept you were distraught and very upset by her death.
‘However you exploited Ashli and forced her to carry out what are degrading sexual acts.’
Defending Mr Webb, David Povell, described him as ‘very immature’. Mr Povell told the court:
‘Marcus was not a man capable to deal with people his own age.
‘He remains a young man who comes across as a young teenager.
‘His intention was not about degradation, it was about sexual activity.’
Sexual Abuse Claims – Expert Advice
Hampson Hughes Solicitors specialises in directing sexual abuse claims in a considerate and compassionate manner. Our Abuse & Criminal Injuries Department is headed by Greg Neill – Greg is a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL).
For an open and friendly conversation about your situation, and to find out how we can assist you relevant to your individual experience, call 0800 888 6 888 or email
You will be given the direct-dial of your case handler, meaning that you will always be able to reach the person you need.
Two and a half years ago, the Daily Mail exposed a British Airways (BA) pilot, First Officer Simon Woods, as a paedophile. The newspaper revealed how the 54 year old would don a fake captain’s uniform and groom young girls with BA branded toys before carrying out his attacks whilst overseas.
It has now come to light that the airline is to pay 38 of Woods’ victims a considerable amount in damages for their ordeals, although the exact figure cannot be revealed for legal reasons.
Woods abused his victims at numerous five-star hotels used by BA, with his offences going undetected for thirteen years. Only when Woods was charged with separate child sex offences in the UK were his other incidents of abuse revealed.
Woods committed suicide just days after he appeared at a London court charged with the abuse in August 2013.
Lawsuit
At the time the enormity of his crimes was revealed by the Daily Mail, 38 of Woods’ victims brought a lawsuit against BA – claiming that the airline failed to protect them from the abuse carried out by the First Officer.
The legal firm representing his victims in Africa claimed that whilst flying for BA, Woods molested girls as young as four over a twelve year period during stopovers in Uganda and Kenya.
The lawsuit focused on whether BA ‘had a duty of care for the children abused in the countries Wood visited whilst working for the airline and taking part in charity work’ and whether the airline was to be held liable for his offences.
A spokesperson for the law firm said:
‘For three years we have been fighting for compensation for these young girls, whose childhoods were destroyed by the sexual abuse they were subjected to by Simon Wood, a British Airways pilot.
‘Now British Airways has agreed to compensate our clients, these girls will be able to complete their education, which for many was seriously disrupted because of the abuse. They will also be able to access therapeutic treatment to help relieve the psychological pain that has resulted from the abuse.
‘This settlement should send a message to organisations which send employees to work or volunteer with children. They need proper safeguards to prevent such horrific acts.’
Reacting to the news of the settlement, one of the victims said:
‘The money will help my school fees because it has been a problem to me. And when I finish schooling I would like to start a business which could help me in the future.’
Previous indecent assault accusation
After Woods’ crimes were revealed, questions arose as to why he was even permitted to work with or near children. He was known to police after he was accused of an indecent assault on an eight-year-old girl he met while volunteering for Diabetes UK in 2000.
The first known contact Woods’ had with children in Africa was in 2001 when he frequently visited an orphanage in the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi. It was also reported that he was on of twenty BA crew members to volunteer to spend Easter with the children at the orphanage, bringing medicine and donations as well as gifts.
After this he would often choose routes into East Africa that were not used regularly by other pilots, using his stopovers as an opportunity to abuse vulnerable children that lived in poor areas.
In a statement, BA said:
‘The allegations against Simon Wood have been shocking and horrifying.
Though we do not bear any legal responsibility for Simon Wood’s actions, we recognise the impact they had on his victims and the distress and suffering they caused.’
Sexual Abuse Claims – Expert Advice
Hampson Hughes Solicitors specialises in directing sexual abuse claims in a considerate and compassionate manner. Our Abuse & Criminal Injuries Department is headed by Greg Neill – Greg is a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL).
For an open and friendly conversation about your situation, and to find out how we can assist you relevant to your individual experience, call 0800 888 6 888 or email
You will be given the direct-dial of your case handler, meaning that you will always be able to reach the person you need.
It has recently come to light that the Church of England was aware that a predatory Bishop within the Church was a ‘serial abuser’, who subjected multiple ‘young men’ to sexual abuse over two decades.
Peter Ball, who counted the Prince of Wales as a ‘loyal friend’, was finally jailed in 2015 after pleading guilty to multiple sexual abuse offences. The Bishop was free to carry out his abuse due to the ‘deeply sinister cover up’ put in place by the Church.
‘Sinister Cover Up’
Previously undisclosed documents, compiled at the time by a private detective working for Ball’s legal team, state that nothing was done about Ball’s abuse in order to ‘prevent a scandal in the press’. The report advised senior figures within the Church that Ball had confessed to ‘abusing not only his office but many young men’.
The documents, reported by the BBC, indicate that the private investigator had access to Ball’s victims before police did. The report is described as being ‘for the information solely of the Bishop of Chichester, the late Eric Kemp, and the then Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey’ and clearly indicates that Ball confessed to the sexual abuse.
Ball resigned as Bishop of Gloucester in 1993 after being arrested for indecent assault, but after a two year hiatus he returned to work. The documents claim that Ball was let off with just a caution at the time, after his lawyers negotiated with Wayne Murdock, an apparently ‘sympathetic’ police officer. Following his return to the Church, he relocated to the Bath and Wells diocese until 2010.
The BBC has reported that the previously undisclosed documents reveal that Mr Murdock had talked with Ball’s legal team at the time regarding ‘the need to prevent a scandal, especially as Peter was a frequent visitor to Sandringham and is friendly with Prince Charles’.
The former Bishop was sentenced to 32 months in jail last October, after he admitted to the sexual abuse of 18 different young men and teenagers.
New Inquiry
Now a new inquiry is set to investigate exactly how much senior figures within the Church knew about the abuse, and the extent of the cover up that followed. The inquiry was first ordered by Most Rev Justin Welby, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, last year. Former council chief executive, Dame Moira Gibb is to lead an independent review into how the Church first responded to the case.
The Archbishop has described the incident as a matter of ‘deep shame’. Archbishop Welby went on to say:
‘I am hugely grateful to Dame Moira for agreeing to take up this vital role,
‘We have offered an unreserved apology to all the survivors and commend the bravery of those who brought these allegations forward. It is a matter of deep shame that a bishop committed these offences.’
The new revelations have come as no surprise to the former bishop’s victims, who have said that the report shows the extent of the two decade-long ‘sinister cover up’. The decision not to prosecute Ball after the offences he committed in the early nineties has already been labelled as ‘wrong’ by prosecutors. They claim the amount of evidence available at the time was enough to bring charges against him.
Involvement of Leading Establishment Figures
However, the remarkable campaign that was set up by numerous leading Establishment figures to protect Ball was revealed last month. Letters were sent at the time to police chiefs and the Director of Public Prosecution by figure heads including Tory MPs, two Archbishops, public school headmasters and a senior judge, describing Ball as a ‘saint’. They even went as far as to claim it was ‘literally inconceivable’ that he could have committed the offences.
During sentencing at the Old Bailey, Bobbie Cheema QC for the prosecution told the court that Ball’s lawyers had claimed to have received a letter from a member of the Royal Family in 1993, in which they expressed their support. The CPS however, claims to have no knowledge of this or to have seen the letter.
A Clarence House spokesperson said:
‘As we said at the time of Peter Ball’s sentencing, The Prince of Wales made no intervention in the judicial process on behalf of Peter Ball. The CPS confirmed then that the information it possessed did not indicate any interference in the case by The Prince of Wales.’
One of Ball’s victims, Phil Johnson, was indecently assaulted by the former Bishop when he was 13 years old; he has branded the revelations an ‘outrage’. Mr Johnson said:
‘The only concern to the Church appears to be protect its own reputation. It is appalling to think that they knew there were other victims out there but did nothing to try to help them.
‘The Church has extremely serious questions to answer surrounding this.’
In a statement to the BBC, Mr Murdock – the so called ‘sympathetic’ officer who is responsible for letting Ball off with a caution – described his original investigation as being ‘conducted with the highest standards of integrity, transparency and impartiality’. Mr Murdock added that the ‘decision as to how the case was disposed of in 1993 was ultimately taken by the Director of Public Prosecutions’ and claimed no deal was struck.
A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Constabulary, who has reviewed their original handling of the case in 2012, said:
‘The original investigation was of a thorough standard and there is no reason to believe that anything was overlooked.’
Sexual Abuse Claims – Expert Advice
Hampson Hughes Solicitors specialises in directing sexual abuse claims in a considerate and compassionate manner. Our Abuse & Criminal Injuries Department is headed by Greg Neill – Greg is a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL).
For an open and friendly conversation about your situation, and to find out how we can assist you relevant to your individual experience, call 0800 888 6 888 or email
You will be given the direct-dial of your case handler, meaning that you will always be able to reach the person you need.
A man has been sentenced to life in prison, serving a minimum of ten years, after he admitted to raping a young mother in her own home. Trevor Lawler also admitted to attempted rape, threats to kill, assault by penetration, trespass and wounding with intent at Manchester Crown Court this week.
Attacked in front of baby
The court heard how Lawler, 32, claimed he had escaped kidnappers to trick his way into the home of the 24 year mother. The intruder proceeded to beat and rape the woman in front of her 12 month old baby, before she managed to flee to a neighbour’s house and ask for help.
Manchester Crown court heard that once Lawler had entered the woman’s home, he shoved her up against the wall where he repeatedly punched her – as she was still holding her young child.
Lawler then stood over the woman, shouting ‘if you don’t shut up, I will kill you stone dead right now’. He then raped her, at one point addressing the baby to say ‘this is all your mother is f****g worth’.
Lawler’s victim fought back, biting a chunk of skin from his hand in the process.
The court heard that the woman was so badly disfigured from the beating that when she ran for help, her neighbour could only recognise her by her voice.
Previous Attack
Police were able to identify Lawler as the attacker due to DNA after examining the piece of skin that the woman was able to bite off and store in her mouth. Following this, it was discovered that Lawler had actually attacked another young mother only hours earlier.
His other victim, 33, claims she was sleeping in bed beside her 7 year old son when she awoke at 4.40am to find Lawler straddling over her. When her son began to cry, Lawler told the woman to ‘shut him up or I will slit your throat’. He then began to remove his trousers and tried to rape her. It was only when the woman’s boyfriend returned home that Lawler fled, in just his T-shirt and underwear.
Arrest & Sentencing
Following the attacks and both women identifying him as their attacker, Greater Manchester Police launched a widespread manhunt for Lawler. He was apprehended and arrested in Manchester City Centre later that same day.
The 24 year old victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered multiple ‘graphic’ injuries during the attack on 10 July2015. She sustained a 4.5cm cut to her face that has left a permanent scar and a broken nose, along with bruising and swelling to her leg, hip, arm, lips and eyes.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, she said:
‘Because of the injuries I could not see my own son for three days as my face was so bruised he would not have recognised me.
‘The family dog didn’t even recognise me. I felt disgusted with myself and felt violated. I still see my baby’s face watching Lawler attack me and I will never forget how he looked as he watched from right next to me.
‘My child should never have had to witness this. I have always been able to look after myself but this made me feel helpless in my own house. I can no longer stand to hear the Irish accent because it reminds me of him.
‘I believe when he gets let out of prison he will kill someone. I pray that when he gets out of prison he doesn’t come back to finish what he started.’
The other victim said:
‘I feel guilty every time I look at my son. I feel I should have done more to protect him from this.
‘I feel I have failed my son. My son will not play out and wants to be with me all of the time. I feel like he has changed so much because of what happened, he is not the little kid he once was.
‘I do not hate Trevor Lawler, I pity him. I think he must be sick. He will have a lot of years to think about what he has done to me and my son.’
‘No sense of moral standpoint’
Lawler’s barrister Hunter Gray, throughout mitigation stated his client had shown ‘no sense of any moral standpoint’. Gray also explained that Lawler had a history of heroin use, as well as alcohol dependency.
He added that Lawler, who had previously been arrested and jailed for six years in 2004 for raping an 18 year old woman in her own home, alleges to have been abused as a child. Gray proposed that the crimes committed by Lawler may be due to ‘issues with grief’, as his partner passed away soon after giving birth to their child. Gray said:
‘He wants to change,
‘He knows his behaviour is wrong and is willing to access any support he can get so neither of these women nor any female in the future is subjected to this sort of conduct again.’
However, when sentencing Lawler, Judge Hilary Manley described him as a dangerous offender and one who poses a serious risk to women and children in the future.
Speaking of the first attack, the judge said:
‘You stole her son’s innocence that night, as well as everything else you did.’
Discussing the second attack, she added:
‘Most disturbingly you told the victim’s baby that her mother deserved what you were doing.
‘She was afraid she would die in front of her child. She fled the house when you finished raping her.
‘She was so covered in blood and her face so battered that the neighbour could not recognise her except by her voice.
‘The neighbour found the baby on the bed covered in blood where she was silent and still in a daze.
‘Your actions have made a previously strong independent woman feel helpless in her own home. I am convinced you have a hatred of women and need to reduce, degrade and humiliate them.
‘This was sadistic violence. There is a significant risk of serious harm being cause by you and I am wholly satisfied you pose a dangerous and substantial risk to the public, particularly to women and children.
‘This was a campaign of rape and sexual assault against vulnerable women in their homes in the direct presence of young children with no effort made to prevent the children from seeing the traumatic spectacle – in fact, quite the reverse.
‘A life sentence remains a sentence of last resort. It is appropriate in this case.’
Sexual Abuse Claims – Expert Advice
Hampson Hughes Solicitors specialises in directing sexual abuse claims in a considerate and compassionate manner. Our Abuse & Criminal Injuries Department is headed by Greg Neill – Greg is a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL).
For an open and friendly conversation about your situation, and to find out how we can assist you relevant to your individual experience, call 0800 888 6 888 or email
You will be given the direct-dial of your case handler, meaning that you will always be able to reach the person you need.
A foster father accused of collecting child porn was free to abuse the children in his care over a fourteen year period after police failed to investigate an anonymous tip-off alleging his abuse.
Anonymous Call
When a London police station received an anonymous call in 1999, detailing the man’s alleged offences such as showing young children pictures of other children being abused, it was not acted on.
Over the following fourteen years, the foster father carried out 20 acts of abuse against five school girls that he and his wife looked after under Hackney Council’s foster scheme. The abuse included acts of indecency, sexual assaults and even rape.
He was jailed in 2013; however prosecutors think the attacks he committed were carried out between 1999 and 2008. There is also a fear that he filmed the abuse and uploaded it online for others to view.
Police Failure
Needless to say, local child protection agencies are ‘furious’ after discovering police failure to follow up the initial claims made against the man, which are said to have been before his first documented act of abuse.
After uncovering the failings in a Serious Case Review, Jim Gamble of the City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Board (CHSCB), has criticised the force. He said:
‘The police failed to deal with an early anonymous complaint about the main offender’s use of indecent images. I am convinced that had they done so the vast majority of the offending (known to us) could have been prevented.
‘Police knew an allegation had been made against a foster carer and on each of the occasions when he was subject to the regular checks that carers are required to undergo, a decision was made not to share that information. In my opinion this case provides evidence that this system needs to be urgently reviewed.
‘Whilst this opportunity to intervene occurred over a decade ago, I welcome the fact that the police have accepted the recommendation to investigate this incident and I am reassured by the steps they have taken to restructure and realign responsibility and oversight for contemporary investigations.’
Other Authorities Unaware of Allegations
Despite the fact that officers carried out four background checks on the man as he and his wife fostered 30 children, the CHSCB confirmed that Hackney Council were not made aware of the allegations of abuse at any time. Mr Gamble added that were Hackney Council made aware of the allegations, children would not have been put into his care.
Calling the oversight by police among the worst he has ever encountered, Peter Saunders of the National Association of People Abused in Childhood said:
‘Foster children are extremely vulnerable. That’s why foster parents, the majority of whom do a brilliant job, should be doubly investigated if there’s a hint of suspicion.’
Meanwhile, Scotland Yard explained that they could provide no details regarding the ‘serious error’ because records had been destroyed.
Sexual Abuse Claims – Expert Advice
Hampson Hughes Solicitors specialises in directing sexual abuse claims in a considerate and compassionate manner. Our Abuse & Criminal Injuries Department is headed by Greg Neill – Greg is a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL).
For an open and friendly conversation about your situation, and to find out how we can assist you relevant to your individual experience, call 0800 888 6 888 or email
You will be given the direct-dial of your case handler, meaning that you will always be able to reach the person you need.
It has recently come to light that a Church of England pastor – who was known for preaching abstinence – raped two teenage girls, as well as grooming hundreds of children online.
35 year old Timothy Storey sexually assaulted congregation members of St Michael’s Church in Belgravia, London.
Facebook contact
Woolwich Crown Court heard how Oxford-educated Storey’s grooming of the girls began when he sent them flattering messages via Facebook.
Such was his influence over his victims that one, who was raped twice, described Storey as being ‘more influential than God’.
The court heard how both girls had made complaints to the Church of England about Storey, however their claims were simply ‘brushed aside’.
Despite Storey’s attempt to insist that both girls gave their consent, he was convicted of three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault at Woolwich Crown Court last week.
The children’s pastor’s first victim is now 25 and says she met Storey when she first joined the church in 2002. She would come into close contact with him again at the age of 14 when she attended the Crusaders bible camp in Kent, of which he was camp leader.
When she was 17 years old, Storey raped her in his home. He then told her to leave so that he could order a Chinese take away and watch a film. His victim said:
‘There was no direction where I could turn where I wasn’t somehow being affected by him.
‘He had me trapped and I knew that if I didn’t do what he wanted me to, I wouldn’t get the good things.
‘He ground me down and treated me like a piece of meat.
‘I felt like a blow-up doll. He once said to me ‘You are not worth wasting a condom on’.
‘When he wants sex, he will not stop until he gets it. I put him on a pedestal and he knew it.’
However, when the teenager went to Reverend Jeremy Crossley with details about the abuse, she was told that the church must ‘look after’ Storey and think primarily about his ‘welfare and needs’.
Second attack
Storey’s second victim, now 24, claims that he began grooming her through Facebook when she was 16 years old. He would send her messages asking for photos of the teen in her school uniform, as well as asking what underwear she wore.
After a few months of contact via the social networking site, Storey invited the girl to attend a concert in Birmingham together. At the concert he gave her copious amounts of alcohol and then took her back to his student room at Oxford where he raped her twice.
Like his first victim, the second girl had attended the Crusader bible camp and was a member of St Michael’s congregation.
Hanna Llewellyn-Waters, for the prosecution, said:
‘She heard a knock at the door and prayed for matters to stop.
‘She cried during the night. She did not know how to get to the station and felt helpless.’
But again, when a complaint was made by the second victim to the church, she was brushed aside and told that a safeguarding officer was ‘dealing’ with the matter.
The girl was allegedly sent a letter of apology by Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, but claims that no further action was taken.
Previous convictions
The two victims only reported their abuse to police in May last year, after they read an article in the Daily Mail detailing Storey’s previous convictions for sex offences.
Storey pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of children, as well as seven counts of inciting children to engage in sexual activity.
Woolwich Crown Court heard how Storey would approach girls as young as 12 online, persuading them to film themselves naked, under the guise of a privately educated teacher called ‘Tim Stone’. He would threaten to tell the girl’s parents if they tried to cease contact with him.
72 indecent images of children and over 3,000 pages of sexually explicit Skype conversations with underage girls were found by police when they raided Storey’s home. Storey initially avoided a prison sentence, instead receiving a three year rehabilitation order. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for five years and received a sexual offences prevention order.
However, following public uproar over the leniency of his sentence, Storey was later jailed for three years.
During the period he was carrying out the abuse, the court heard that Storey was responsible for training fellow youth leaders in child safeguarding practices. At that same time he also preached ‘no sex before marriage’ to the youngsters in his congregation.
In court
In court Storey denied abusing either girl. He claimed that the sex was consensual, adding that both girls were over the legal age of consent at the time. Referring to the abuse, Storey claimed that the victims ‘seemed to be enjoying it’.
Ms Llewellyn-Waters went onto say:
‘The defendant targeted vulnerable victims and his conduct revealed a wholesale breach of trust in his position of relative power as the church youth leader.
‘After gaining their confidence and trust, he made contact with them and groomed them to form inappropriate relationships with them before manipulating [them] into sexual activity.’
She added that Storey’s behaviour highlighted his ‘entrenched manipulation of young females to engage in sexual activity for his own gratification’.
Storey, from Peckham, South London, denied all charges but was convicted of one count of sexual assault and three counts of rape. Storey has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on 15 April 2016.
Judge Philip Katz, QC, said:
‘I cannot just deal with Mr Storey today.
‘The law provides, in certain circumstances, that judges may treat offenders as dangerous offenders and that is something I need some more information about as that information is not before me today.’
Diocese of London released the following statement:
‘Timothy Storey has today been convicted of a series of appalling crimes and we are profoundly sorry for what his victims endured.
‘The Diocese of London first received complaints regarding Timothy Storey’s conduct in early 2009.
‘He was then training as a Church of England ordained at Wycliffe Hall. The Diocese’s Child Protection Adviser at the time looked into the allegations and spoke with the Metropolitan Police Westminster Child Protection Team, raising concerns that his actions were an offence under the 2003 Sexual Offences Act.
‘Whilst the Diocese’s Child Protection Adviser recorded that police did not believe any criminal act had been committed, the Diocese nevertheless took the decision to withdraw him from ordination training.
‘The Diocese subsequently submitted a report to the Independent Safeguarding Authority (now known as the Disclosure and Barring Service).
‘Within the submission, the Diocese stipulated that it deemed Timothy Storey’s behaviour to pose a risk to those under the age of 18 and included first-hand statements that the Diocese gathered from the individuals who had made allegations against Mr Storey.
‘The National Church of England was also notified, to prevent him from applying for ordination elsewhere in the country.’
Sexual abuse claims – expert advice
Hampson Hughes Solicitors specialises in directing sexual abuse claims in a considerate and compassionate manner. Our Abuse & Criminal Injuries Department is headed by Greg Neill – Greg is a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL).
For an open and friendly conversation about your situation, and to find out how we can assist you relevant to your individual experience, call 0800 888 6 888 or email
You will be given the direct-dial of your case handler, meaning that you will always be able to reach the person you need.
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