Category Archives: Norfolk

Shane Vertigan – Fakenham

10 Tuesday Sep 2019

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September 2019

Concealing a ‘dark and ugly secret’ – from town stalwart to convicted sex offender

“An outwardly decent member of society concealing a dark and ugly secret.”

That is how Shane Vertigan was described by a judge the day he was put behind bars for six years.

The 49-year-old from Whitelands in Fakenham had denied eight charges of abusing a schoolgirl.

But on Friday, a jury at Norwich Crown Court found him guilty of six offences of sexually assaulting a girl between the ages of 13 and 15, more than a decade ago.

A seemingly upstanding member of his community, Vertigan previously worked as a police community support officer (PCSO) in Fakenham for a number of years.

Vertigan also worked in the custody office at Bethel Street Police Station in Norwich for five years, and then, in 1997, he was appointed traffic warden for Fakenham, Holt and Walsingham.

He became known as the ‘singing traffic warden’ and also sang for a Salvation Army band, a charity he was a member of.

Vertigan had a long association with Hindringham Football Club, and has held positions including, most recently, chairman. He is also a qualified football referee.

At his sentencing at Ipswich Crown Court on Monday, judge David Goodin said he had been “an outwardly decent member of society concealing a dark and ugly secret.”

He described how Vertigan had become obsessed with the girl, who was more than 20 years his junior, and had used grooming behaviour “to get her to where he wanted her to be.”

He said the sexual assaults included Vertigan touching her genital area.

The court heard how, years later, the victim had been deeply affected by what had happened.

Karl West – King’s Lynn

26 Monday Aug 2019

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Update: West was handed 10 years imprisonment with one year extended license.

An indefinite sexual prevention order was imposed and West was told that he must register as a sex offender for life

September 2018

Paedophile pleads guilty to sexually assaulting two-year-old in Stevenage

A paedophile has admitted depraved sexual offences against two-year-old

Karl West, of Bishops Road in King’s Lynn, admitted the vile abuse when he appeared before Judge Stephen Warner at St Albans Crown Court.

West also pleaded guilty to taking six indecent photographs and a video of a child, as well as making 44 indecent images of kids and 19 indecent videos of child sexual abuse

David Saunders – Fakenham

21 Wednesday Aug 2019

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August 2019

Man found with extreme child abuse images dodges jail

A veteran caught posting indecent images of children on an online messaging service and searching the dark web described his own actions as “disgusting” as he avoided jail.

David Saunders’ home near Fakenham was raided by police after they traced an account named ‘John Love’ to him.

It had posted an indecent image to the Kik Messenger site in February, and the associated mobile phone number led officers to Saunders home at Blenheim Road, Sculthorpe.

They seized three USB sticks, a Packard Bell computer tower and a Moto mobile phone.

On them were stored hundreds of indecent or prohibited images of children and extreme pornography, including more than 500 of the most extreme videos, dating back to 2013.

Eleanor Sheerin, prosecuting, said Saunders made “full and frank admissions” in two police interviews.

And as he was given a three-year community order at Norwich Crown Court on Tuesday, Saunders said from the dock the images he had were “disgusting”.

“There are a range of ages but some [of the children] are extremely young, under the age of five,” Miss Sheerin told the court.

“One was of a three to four month old baby boy.

“There is evidence of [Saunders] deliberately searching for extremely young children and familial sexual abuse.”

Judge Andrew Shaw told Saunders the case was “particularly troubling” as he had deliberately searched for images on the dark web.

“In one sense it is refreshing for the court to have a defendant prepared to be as honest as you have been,” he said. “Unless and until you acknowledge the problem you are not susceptible to help or treatment.

“You need to understand every image of a child being abused means somewhere in the world that child was, in fact, abused.

“If there were no market for them, they would not be created.

“You could have no complaint at all if I sent you to prison immediately. I am just persuaded the proper and better course to ensure your long-term rehabilitation and protection of the public is to impose a three year community order.”

Saunders, 44, admitted making and possessing indecent images, including extreme pornography and prohibited images.

143 images and 502 videos were of category A – the most extreme.

He was given a three year community order to include attendance at the Horizon project, a sexual harm prevention order to run for five years, and 60 days of rehabilitation.

“If I see you again you will be going to prison – for years, not months,” Judge Shaw told him. “You have done the right thing to ask for help and I hope you succeed.”

Brad Pitts – Great Yarmouth

02 Friday Aug 2019

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August 2019

Great Yarmouth man jailed after meeting up with 15-year-old girl

A 23-year-old Great Yarmouth man has been jailed three and half years after meeting up and having sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl he met online.

Brad Pitts, who was 19 at the time of the offences, chatted to the girl on social media and despite knowing her age, he arranged to meet up with her in a park, where he sexually touched the girl, Norwich Crown Court heard.

Isobel Ascherson, prosecuting, said the offences took place back in March, 2016.

Pitts, of Sturdee Avenue, admitted sexual activity with a child and was jailed three and half years.

He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and placed on the sex offender’s register.

Lloyd Soanes – Norwich

30 Tuesday Jul 2019

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July 2019

Norwich man jailed for 20 years following sex offences’ conviction

A 59-year-old Norfolk man has been jailed for 20 years after being convicted of a number of non-recent sexual offences against a young girl.

Lloyd Soanes, aged 59, of Dow Close, Norwich, was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment and placed on licence for another 12 months at Norwich Crown Court on Friday 26 July 2019. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Following a trial at Norwich Crown Court, Soanes was found guilty on 17 June 2019 of six counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency on a girl under the age of 14, one count of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16 and a number of other sexual offences against one victim.

The offences took place between 31 August 1997 and 13 January 2003.

The result comes after a complex investigation by officers from Norfolk Constabulary’s Child Abuse Investigation Unit, which led to Soanes being charged with the offences in January this year.

Following the sentencing, the victim said: “He has taken everything from me – my childhood and my innocence, and it has affected friendships, family, relationships and my career.

“This was never about seeking revenge but getting justice and although I’ll never be able to change what happened, I can now at last try to move on with my life.”