Category Archives: Gloucestershire

David Mason – Hardwicke

26 Friday Feb 2021

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February 2021

Hardwick man asked underage girl for sex chat in police sting

A jury took just 36 minutes yesterday to find a 55-year-old Hardwicke man guilty of trying to engage a 14-year-old girl in sex chat – who was really an undercover police officer.

David Mason of Wynnstay Court Road, Hardwicke, Gloucestershire, told ‘Libby Bowen’ – the officer’s alias – that he was pleasuring himself and asked her to watch, and later requested pictures of the ‘girl’.

Mason and the officer exchanged emails, which the police used to trace and arrest him at his home address before seizing his computer equipment for analysis, as part of the December 21, 2017, sting operation.

The jury was told that Mason logged into a chat room called ‘Just Teens’ but claimed he was just ‘role playing’ with like-minded adults and he gained no sexual gratification from the chat.

Prosecutor Catherine Flint told the jury of five men and seven women that Mason, using the name ‘Dave69’, began messaging another chat room user ‘ChristmasGeordieLass14’, a pseudonym used by an undercover female police officer posing as the 14-year-old girl.

The prosecutor said that Mason, using his true first name, Dave, began steering the conversation in a sexualised manner after linking up with ‘Libby.’ He asked for her age, sex and location, and she told him she was from Newcastle and was aged 14.

After a short while Mason he described his state of arousal and said he was pleasuring himself. He then asked whether ‘Libby’ would like to watch.

Mason went on to ask the girl to send him pictures of herself. They exchanged emails and it was through this channel of communication that Mason was later traced and subsequently arrested at his home address and his computer equipment was seized for analysis.

Mason claimed in evidence to the jury: “I had my suspicions that Libby was an adult. When I asked for her photograph I noticed that it had been doctored. This confirmed to me that I was talking to an adult.

“I told her that I grew up in Worcester and lived in Bristol or Gateshead and that I would be working on the railway network in Newcastle over Christmas.

“I wasn’t going to reveal my identity or where I live over the internet.

“As far as I was concerned it was role play. I didn’t do it for sexual gratification, I did it for something to do as my life had become rather boring.

“I don’t have a sexual interest in underage girls. You will not find any indecent images of children on my computer.”

Mason told the jury that he had used other chat rooms to act out his role play before he turned to the ‘Just Teens’ site.

Ms Flint pointed out to the jury that Mason was not role playing – he was effectively playing himself, a middle-aged 52-year-old man.

“There was nothing to indicate that ‘Libby’ was anything but a 14-year-old,” she added.

“He treated her like a child throughout the conversation.”

After the jury had returned their unanimous guilty verdict, Recorder James Waddington QC said he was unable to sentence Mason immediately as a number of reports had to be prepared before he could do so.

Mason was released on conditional bail to return to the court on Friday, April 16 for sentencing.

George Haynes – Northampton

20 Saturday Feb 2021

Posted by in Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Teacher

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February 2021

Ex-teacher convicted of molesting schoolboys

A former English teacher at a Gloucester secondary school has been convicted of six offences of molesting two boy pupils in the 1980s and is to be sentenced in April

George Haynes, 69, of Church Lane, Northampton, had pleaded not guilty at Gloucester Crown Court to a total of 11 charges – ten relating to a boy at the Gloucester school between 1980-1984 and one to a boy at a school in Leicester where Haynes later worked in 1985/86.

At the end of a trial held at the ‘Nightingale’ court in Cirencester this week the jury found Haynes guilty of five indecent assaults on the Gloucester boy but could not agree on five other charges concerning him – two of indecent assault and three of gross indecency – and was discharged from returning verdicts on them.

Haynes was also convicted of the one charge against him of indecently assaulting the Leicester boy.

The names of the two schools involved cannot be reported by court order.

Judge Ian Lawrie QC bailed Haynes until sentencing on April 9 so that a pre-sentence report can be prepared.

Prosecutor Don Tait had told the jury of nine men and three women at the start of the trial that the allegations all came to light when a man contacted Gloucester Police in April 2016 alleging he had been assaulted by his English teacher during the 1980s.

“School records were subsequently obtained and they show that the complainant was at the Gloucester school between September 1980 and July 1987,” said Mr Tait.

The jury were told that the school records were checked and it was found that Mr Haynes taught at the Gloucester school between September 1977 and August 1985.

As part of the enquiry, it was discovered that Leicestershire Police had investigated Mr Haynes in 2013 on suspicion in committing similar offences in that area, said Mr Tait.

The court was told that the Gloucester victim had been seen by a psychiatrist in 1990 with issues over sexual uncertainty. During the course of his consultation he revealed that he had a series of sexual encounters with a school teacher when he was aged 13.

Mr Haynes denied committing any offences against the Gloucester victim. He also maintained he had no recollection of the boy in Leicester and described his account as ‘pure fabrication and lies.’

The Gloucester victim said in his evidence: “I have spent most of my adult life trying to convince myself it didn’t happen. I remember the physical acts from 40 years ago and the location, but little else in detail.”

It emerged during the trial that Haynes had a conviction for indecent assault of a child in 1993. He was found guilty in April 1994 of committing the assault while a teacher at Newlands Manor School at Seaford in Sussex.

He was jailed for this and has not been able to work as a teacher since. His employment subsequently was as an assistant in a book shop.

The Sussex school can be named as it is now longer trading and ceased operations in 2006.

He was found guilty of committing four counts of indecent assault on a male and two counts of indecency with a child.

William Graham – Woodchester

19 Friday Feb 2021

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February 2021

Woodchester man had indecent images of children

A 27-year-old Woodchester man has been sentenced to a three year community order for possessing 135 indecent images of children aged between four and 13 years.

At Gloucester Crown Court yesterday, William Graham, from Woodchester, admitted to having 27 Category A indecent images of children – the most serious type – 30 Category B and 78 Category C between November 25, 2016 and June 6, 2017.

Traces of the material were found on two of his phones, downloaded from a KIK forum in which pornographic images were being shared.

Prosecutor Nicola Wood said the offences came to light in 2018 when the National Crime Agency contacted the American authorities in relation to activity on the KIK forum.

She said: “Gloucestershire Police only became involved in June 2019 and visited Graham’s home address after an execution of a warrant on August 14, 2019 where a number of electronic devices were seized.

“A Samsung phone and an Apple iPhone were seized and both had traces of the same images as they were duplicated on each device when they were downloaded. The images that were recovered had been downloaded by Graham, but were no longer accessible as part of a shared forum.

“The images were created on at least 17 different occasions spread across an eight month period.

“Graham was interviewed by police and admitted that he had used the KIK forum in which pornographic material was shared. He claimed he hadn’t sought out these images but accepted that they had been downloaded as a result of being involved in such online forums.

“The children depicted in the images were aged between four to 13 years of age.”

Sarah Jenkins, defending, said: “The offences occurred some time ago and there has been no further offending. The offences are already five years old.

“This wasn’t a man who went looking for these images. His downfall was returning to the group chats and getting involved in the sharing of these images, which got downloaded onto his phones.

“He is very remorseful about his actions. He is assessed as suitable for being dealt with in the community.”

Recorder James Waddington QC told Graham: “These offences of possessing indecent images of children were committed in 2016 and 2017. It is material that the offences were committed sometime ago and I am satisfied that the CPS has done its best to bring the case to court as soon as it could.

“You have admitted that you had indecent images of very young girls on your phones, however I must consider a sentence that will keep you out of trouble and therefore I feel a three year community order is the best option.”

Graham was sentenced to 40 programme sessions, 40 rehabilitation activity requirement days and subjected to the terms of a sexual harm prevention order for five years, limiting his use of the internet He was required to sign the sex offenders’ register for the same time period.

The judge ordered Graham to pay court costs of £525 and a victim surcharge of £85.

Benjamin Wilkinson – Gloucester

07 Sunday Feb 2021

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February 2021

Judge tells Abbeymead man to expect jail after series of attacks on women

A Gloucester man has admitted a sexual assault and violence charges against women and possessing an offensive weapon in Barton.

Benjamin Wilkinson, 29, of Minster Gardens, Abbeymead, appeared at Gloucester Crown Court and pleaded guilty to attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm to a woman between July 18 and 24, 2020 and possessing a hammer in Barton Street, Gloucester, between the same dates.

He also admitted sexual assaulting a woman without consent on September 14, 2020; intentionally making an attempt to sexually assault a different woman on the same date; dangerous driving in a Citroen Berlingo on the A40 Gloucester Road in Cheltenham on September 14 and an assault causing actual bodily harm on October 2, 2020.

Wilkinson also admitted driving on September 14, 2020 with 53 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath (the legal limit being 35).

But he denied kidnapping a woman on July 18, 2020 and two charges of attempting to kidnap two other women on September 14, 2020.

The prosecution said it would not proceed with those charges and they could be left on the court file.

Judge Ian Lawrie QC said this was an “odd sequence of behaviour” with “some bizarre offending” and remanded Wilkinson in custody until he is sentenced on March 12, 2021.

The judge also made an interim order that Wilkinson should sign the sex offenders register and abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order.

Judge Lawrie ordered a full set of pre-sentence reports and told Wilkinson: “It’s not a question of if you are going to prison, it is a question for how long.”

Serupepeli Niubasaga – South Cerney

05 Friday Feb 2021

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February 2021

Sick soldier who raped mum, 26, as she put daughter, 6, to bed 

A mum has told of the terrifying moment a soldier raped her at home after saying her clothes were “an invitation” for sex as her daughter slept upstairs.

Georgia Hinton, 26, bravely waived her anonymity to reveal Serupepeli Niubasaga, 41, sexually assaulted and raped her after following her home from a barbecue.

The mum from Livingston, Scotland, had taken her now six-year-old daughter home from the event back in May 2018, only to find Niubasaga had followed her.

Terrified Georgia was putting her daughter to bed when she realised Niubasaga, who is originally from Fiji, had followed her home and crept into the room.

The rapist then followed Georgia back downstairs and told her the way she dressed would attract the “the wrong attention” in his home country.

He added that men would see her clothing as an “invitation” for sex before raping her.

In July 2020, Niubasaga was jailed for seven years for the horrific attack.

In 2017 pharmacy assistant Georgia moved to the Duke of Gloucester barracks in south Cerney, Glos, with her now ex-wife, a postal and courier operator in the Army, and her then three-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

“I soon met all of the Army wives and settled in,” Georgia said. “My daughter joined the nursery there and she made plenty of friends too.”

In May 2018, Georgia dropped her daughter off at a neighbour’s house for a play date. 

When she picked her up, the neighbours said they were having a barbecue and invited Georgia in.

Soon after, she spotted soldier, Niubasaga. 

“I recognised him,” she said. “He was a friend of an acquaintance and I’d seen him at the nursery and supermarket before, but we’d never spoken.

“Suddenly, he began to gawk at me, I immediately felt on edge. Then, he came over and introduced himself.

“But as we were chatting, he stared at my body. I realised he was a creep.”

Georgia told Niubasaga she needed to top up her drink, but he stepped in front of her blocking her way.

“He kept saying, ‘Where are you going?’ and ‘Stay longer’.

“I sternly told him ‘No’ before joining my friends.”

Georgia felt Niubasaga’s eyes on her for the rest of the night, and decided to leave at midnight once her daughter had fallen asleep.

“I said goodnight to everyone and carried her home. I walked upstairs and tucked her into bed,” she said.

“Suddenly, I heard a creak a behind me. I turned around and saw Niubasaga stood in the middle of the bedroom. My heart stopped. I realised he must’ve followed us home.”

Ignoring Georgia, Niubasaga walked up to her daughter and told her to go to sleep. 

Terrified he would hurt her daughter, Georgia left the room for him to follow her and sat down on the sofa downstairs in silence.

“Niubasaga then kneeled down and said: ‘You need to listen to me, the way you dress in my country would attract the wrong attention’.

“Then suddenly, he started fondling my breasts. He continued saying, ‘Men will take the way you look as an invitation’.”

Georgia said she wanted to scream but quietly sobbed instead for fear Niubasaga would hurt her daughter.

“Moments later, he pushed up my skirt, moved my underwear aside and raped me. I tried to kick him off but he pinned me down,” she said.

Afterwards, Niubasaga left Georgia’s house without saying a word. 

“I collapsed into a heap on the floor. Eventually I managed to ring a friend for help, I was hysterical.”

Three hours later, the police and Army welfare arrived and the next day Niubasaga was arrested. 

“Army welfare kept saying how Niubasaga was innocent until proven guilty,” Georgia said.

“I was horrified that they were defending him. After that, I suffered horrible flashbacks.”

The following week, Georgia and her daughter moved 200 miles away to live with Georgia’s family in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

More than a year later in October 2019, the trial arrived but it was a hung jury.

In July 2020, Niubusaga was found guilty of one count of sexual assault and one count of rape against Georgia at Bristol Crown Court. He was jailed for seven years. 

“I went through hell during the two trials,” Georgia said. “The defence ridiculed me as a mother for not taking my daughter away.

“Meanwhile, Niubasaga lied through his teeth, telling the jury that I raped him.

“But thankfully, I was believed in the end. Sadly, not many women have got justice like me though.

“More needs to be more done for sexual assault victims in the Army.”