February 2021

Jailed sex offender admits rapes and abuse on another young victim

A convicted sex offender has been found guilty of raping a teenager who still has nightmares about what happened, a court has heard.

Simon Pettitt, 38, is already serving a 12 year prison sentence after having been convicted of the sexual abuse of two children in 2014.

Pettitt, formerly of North View Drive, Whissonett, near Fakenham, was jailed after being found guilty of five counts of sexual abuse, one count of rape and one count of sexual assault against two girls under 16.

Norwich Crown Court heard that in August 2018 police were alerted to other offences that had been committed by Pettitt on a teenage boy.

At that time the victim was in his early 20s and broke down before confiding with a family member that he had been sexually assaulted when he was in his early to mid teens.

The offences are said to have happened between 2007 and 2009.

Unyime Davies, prosecuting, said Pettitt had told the victim not to tell anyone about what happened.

Pettitt, now of HMP Littlehey, in Cambridgeshire, admitted a total of two counts of rape of a child, one count of attempted rape and two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

He also admitted two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, once count of causing a child to watch a sexual act and one count of sexual activity with a child.

The court heard a statement from the victim describing how “he feels sick to hear the defendant’s name”, has nightmares about what happened and also difficulty sleeping.

He said he has become nervous and anxious and has negative thoughts which will not go away.

Sentencing Pettitt to a total of five years imprisonment, Judge Anthony Bate described the defendant as a “persistent and opportunistic offender”.

He said Pettitt showed a “callous disregard” for his victims.

Pettitt was also made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) as well as being put on the sex offenders’ register for life.

November 2014

Fakenham man jailed for 12 years on child sex abuse charges

A 32-year-old man has been jailed for 12 years after being found guilty of the sexual abuse of two children.

Simon Pettitt, of North View Drive, Whissonsett, near Fakenham was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court yesterday after being convicted following an eight day trial in August of this year.

Pettitt had been charged with five counts of sexual abuse including one count of rape and one count of sexual assault.

The abuse took place over a period of five years dating back as far as 2006 and involved girls under the age of 16.

February 2021

Sex attacker caught after live streaming victim, 13, in bed

A Norfolk man who sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl was discovered after the victim’s mother saw the offender on a phone watching her sleep, a court has heard.

Simon Price, 40, met a girl on a gaming platform in November 2019 when he said he was 26 and the victim said she was older than she was.

Norwich Crown Court heard after a while conversations between the two moved to Instagram and became more personal, including his medical illnesses and her difficulties.

Benedict Peers, prosecuting, said “conversation became increasingly flirtatious”.

Price, of The Fallows, Taverham, began behaving as if they were in a relationship.

The conversation became more sexualised and they exchanged images and videos as well as live streaming each other.

Mr Peers said there came a time when the victim blocked Price on Instagram but he contacted her on other social media sites.

The court was told she was to tell police she felt “guilty” due to his medical history.

In March last year Price drove down to the south coast where he picked up the victim and sexually assaulted her in the back of his car on the sea front.

The victim told police she “froze” during the course of the assaults.

Mr Peers said following the sexual assaults Price “encouraged” her to self harm and said “he wanted to help her do it”.

The offences came to light after the victim’s mother came into her bedroom in May last year and found her asleep.

But “she could see a man watching her during a live stream video on her phone”.

Police were contacted and Price was later identified.

A victim impact from the teenager described how she had been self harming more and did not feel safe being on her own anymore.

She said she found it hard to trust people because she did not want to be lied to.

A victim statement from her mother described the “horror” she felt at what had happened and how it affected her daughter as well as her, her partner and other daughter.

She also could not put out of her mind the picture of her daughter asleep next to the phone with the defendant watching.

Price appeared in court for sentence on Monday, February 1 having previously admitted an offence of an adult meeting a girl under 16 following grooming and two counts of sexual activity with a girl.

He also admitted an offence of engaging in sexual communication with a child and one count of making an indecent photo of a child.

Price was given an extended sentence of 10 years four months made up of five and a half years in custody with an additional five years on licence.

Judge Andrew Shaw said Price posed a significant risk of serious harm to members of the public.

He said Price had “lied about your age” and groomed her before committing the sexual assaults on her.

Price was also made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and put on the sex offenders’ register for life.

January 2021

King’s Lynn man given extended 18-year sentence

A Kings Lynn man who sought to arrange the sexual abuse of women and girls in an online chatroom has been given an extended 18-year sentence.

Police say the “digital footprint” left by offenders like Phillippe Campbell means they can, and will, be brought to justice.

Campbell, 45, was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court yesterday, having previously been convicted on three counts of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

He was also found guilty on three charges of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence. All the offences occurred in Lynn between September 1, 2019, and February 18 last year.

Campbell was sentenced to 12 years in jail, plus a further six years on licence.

Passing sentence, Judge Stephen Holt described Campbell’s behaviour as “shocking” even in the context of his 40 years’ experience of the criminal justice system.

“It’s hard to think of a more wicked thing to do,” he said.

During an interview following his arrest, Campbell identified two victims whose details he had shared online.

All those identified as being his victims were notified immediately, and safeguarding measures were put in place.

January 2021

Sex offender used secret Twitter account to post indecent material

A convicted sex offender posted indecent material on a secret Twitter account he set up, a court heard.

Lee Patterson, 23, was subject to a sexual harm prevention order which meant his internet use was monitored.

It was discovered by a sharp-eyed probation officer that he set up a secret Twitter account.

The officer then realised he was using an email account they were unaware about, Norwich Crown Court was told.

Peter Gair, prosecuting, said police were informed and it was found Patterson had posted two messages on his Twitter account containing indecent material, one of which was a live-stream video.

Mr Gair said it was also found that Patterson had access to a phone which he had not told anyone about.

Patterson claimed he had thrown the phone down a drain when he realised he had been found out and Mr Gair said that meant police were unable to find out what he had been accessing on his phone.

Mr Gair said when interviewed Patterson claimed he had not complied because he loved social media.

The court heard he had now been recalled to prison as he had been jailed 16 months in March 2020 for a previous breach.

Patterson, of no fixed address, admitted two offences of sending grossly offensive indecent matter by electronic communication and breaching his sexual harm prevention order and notification order in December 2020.

The court heard he was already on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Jailing him for two years, Judge Maureen Bacon told him: “You are a persistent offender. You are unable to restrain yourself even though court orders have been put in place.”

She said he had shown a deviousness and had continued to offend.

She said: “When you knew the heat was on and police were coming you threw the phone away,”