December 2018

Man jailed for six years for sex abuse on girl

A pervert who repeatedly sexually assaulted a young girl and manipulated her into performing sex acts with him by offering her cash and cigarettes was jailed for six years on Thursday.

Appearing in the Royal Court, Joao Carlos Gouveia Ferreira (24) was placed on the Sex Offender Register for ten years after pleading guilty to a number of sexual offences.

He also received a nine-year restraining order banning him from contact with any girls under the age of 16.

The court heard that Ferreira carried out a series of sexual abuse offences against one girl over an eight-month period.

He was arrested in May after she came forward to her school counsellor following a lesson about safe relationships and sexual consent.

Opening the case yesterday, Crown Advocate Conrad Yates said that Ferreira had turned the victim into ‘a subject for his own sexual gratification’.

He added: ‘He stripped the victim of her childhood and her innocence in an appalling way.’

The advocate added that the defendant should be imprisoned for his offences and asked for him to be jailed for six years.

Evidence presented to the court included a text message in which the defendant offered the victim money to perform a sex act with him.

‘The victim also said during police interview that Ferreira would offer her cash and cigarettes in return for submitting to sexual activity.

Deputy Bailiff Tim Le Cocq, presiding, described Ferreira as a sexual predator and told him that he had ‘stolen the victim’s childhood’.

He added: ‘You have shown little remorse or sympathy for the victim and have tried to blame her. We have read about the profound effect your predatory behaviour had on her. You used her for your own sexual gratification.’

The Superior Number, which convenes for Jersey’s most serious cases, followed the Crown’s recommendations and jailed Ferreira for six years. They declined to recommend the deportation of the defendant back to Portugal because he has grown up in the Island and his close family live in Jersey.

Ferreira pleaded guilty to three charges of indecent assault, unlawful sexual intercourse, two counts of procuring an act of gross indecency and attempting to procure an act of gross indecency.

December 2015

Pervert jailed for numerous sex assaults against young girl

A man who committed a string of sex offences against a young girl has been sentenced to six years in prison.

Joao Ferreira, 24, carried out a number of sexual assaults on the girl over a lengthy period of time, States of Jersey Police said.

He pleaded guilty to seven counts, including one of rape and three of indecent assault at Jersey’s Royal Court.

Ferreira was placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

He also pleaded guilty to two counts of procuring an act of gross indecency and one count of attempting to procure an act of gross indecency.

A nine-year restraining order has been applied to Ferreira, banning him from being alone with girls under the age of 16.

December 2018

Man convicted of raping teenage girl

A jury of nine men and three women have unanimously convicted a 40-year-old man of the rape and indecent assault of a teenage girl.

Derek David Allen faced a three-day jury trial in the Royal Court this week for one count of rape and one count of indecent assault, both of which he denied.

He was accused by the teenage girl of having raped and indecently assaulted her in the early hours of 8 March, after giving her a significant amount of vodka and rum-based drinks as well as cannabis.

The girl said she had not consented to any sexual contact with Mr Allen. He said they had shared a consensual kiss but couldn’t remember anything that had happened after.

Forensic analysis found that Mr Allen’s DNA was on internal swabs taken from the girl, while her DNA was found on the inside of Mr Allen’s jeans, around the crotch area.

Summing up the case and giving his directions to the jury, the Deputy Bailiff, Tim Le Cocq, said the burden of proof lay with the prosecution, while Mr Allen, who didn’t give evidence in court, didn’t have to prove anything. 

The Deputy Bailiff urged the jury to consider both counts separately, stating that they could convict Mr Allen of one and not the other. 

The jury retired for nearly six hours before returning their unanimous verdict. As a result of his conviction, Allen has been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

He has been remanded in custody and will be appearing in court this Friday when a date for his sentencing will be set. 

March 2019

Jersey child rapist jailed for 15 years

A man who sexually assaulted two young girls has been jailed for 15 years.

Jason Le Chevere, 43, was found guilty of two counts of rape and 11 counts of indecent assault, dating back to 2006.

His two victims were very young at the time of the offences, Jersey’s Royal Court heard. After the sentencing, one of his victims said she could now smile again after living in “anxiety and fear”.

Le Chevere, from St Saviour, Jersey, was also put on the sex offenders register.

One of the victims reported their abuser to care home staff, Crown Advocate Simon Thomas told the court.

Psychologists said the second victim developed severe mental problems as a result of the abuse, but had never complained because she was afraid of what might happen to her, he added.

In a statement read by police outside the court, one of the victims said: “I am relieved and pleased that my truth of what has happened to me has been taken seriously.

“My anxiety has decreased and I finally took my smile back.”

Sentencing Le Chevere, Royal Court Commissioner Sir John Sanders said the 15-year jail term reflected the seriousness of his crimes.

November 2018

Man found guilty of rape and indecent assault

A pervert is facing a long jail term after being convicted of rape and indecent assault.

A jury of six women and six men convicted 43-year-old Jason Mark Le Chevere on all 13 charges – comprising 11 indecent assaults and two rapes – against two children.

He will now return to the Royal Court on Friday for a sentencing date to be fixed.

Over the course of a four-day trial, jurors heard evidence from the two victims via pre-recorded interviews with the police and by live video-link.

Due to their young age, the victims did not appear in the court.

Prosecuting, Crown Advocate Simon Thomas had argued that the girls had no reason to lie about their claims of abuse at the defendant’s hands.

He said, while they made their reports independently, there were many ‘similarities’ in their accounts.

Le Chevere did not offer evidence in his defence.

However, his advocate, Ian Jones, argued that the evidence presented by the girls was too inconsistent and unreliable to meet the high bar the jury should require for a conviction.

The jurors deliberated for almost four hours before arriving at their decision.

Le Chevere will await sentencing in La Moye prison

September 2018

Paedophile Jailed For 10 Months

Another man has been jailed by Jersey’s Magistrate’s Court for trying to groom a child.

Abul Mahmud has been sentenced to 10 months in prison.

The 51 year old is the latest paedophile to be snared by Cheyenne O’Connor, who was posing as a 12 year old girl in an online chat.

Mahmud admitted attempting to meet what he thought was the child at his flat for sex.

Miss O’Connor has secured four convictions within the past month alone – with the groomers getting sentences of between 7 and 10 months.

Two of the men were on holiday in the island when they committed the offences.

Two online petitions have been set up calling for Jersey to urgently review sentencing guidelines so that paedophiles get harsher punishments.