April 2021

Paedophile who inflicted teenage boys to sickening sexual abuse hid crimes

A sexual predator who preyed on two teenagers has been brought to justice – after hiding his despicable crimes for more than 30 years.

Steven Gustafson has admitted five counts of sexual assault dating back to the 1980s when he groomed and sexually assaulted two teenage boys.

April 2021

Sex offender back in trouble after failing to tell police he’d moved in with partner

A sex offender found himself back in trouble after he failed to tell police he’d moved in with his partner.

Steven Raun was put on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years back in 2012 after being convicted of offences relating to under 16s.

As part of the requirements, the 31-year-old must inform officers of a change of address within seven days of moving.

A court heard that Raun was staying with his mother in Blakelaw, Newcastle, but went to live with his girlfriend in December 2019.

However, for eight months, he failed to inform officers he had moved and it wasn’t discovered until his mum dropped him in it in August 2020.

Raun, now back at Blakelaw, Newcastle, admitted he’d forgotten to tell police when he appeared at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court to plead guilty to one count of failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements.

Prosecutor, Lesley Burgess, said: “The defendant was made subject of notification requirements following a sentence for sex offences in relation to under 16s back in 2012.

“They were in place for 10 years. The evidence in this case comes from the defendant’s mother and partner.

“The defendant had always been in touch with his offender manager and provided his mother’s address as his residence.”

Miss Burgess added: “His mother was spoken to and she said the defendant only stayed at hers on occasions but hadn’t been residing there.

“His partner then said they’d been living together as a family at her address.”

The court heard that Raun had a previous breach of the order on his record from 2015 but hadn’t been in trouble since

Magistrates adjourned the case for the preparation of a pre-sentence report back in the same court on May 10.

April 2021

Former Gateshead football coach sexually assaulted drunk teen when she was unconscious

A disgraced former football coach sexually assaulted a drunk teenager after she passed out.

John Herring took advantage of the girl when she was unable to defend herself due to her condition.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the teenager was left feeling “dirty” as a result of her ordeal.

Herring, 58, of Temple Green, Gateshead, denied sexual assault but was found guilty by a jury after a trial, where the brave victim gave evidence about what happened to her.

She said in an impact statement: “He denied sexual assault, calling me a liar to anyone who would listen and people believed him.

“All I did was tell the truth.

“During the trial I felt sick to the point I could no longer eat and was on edge all the time.”

Judge Julie Clemitson sentenced Herring to 12 months behind bars.

He must sign the sex offenders register for ten years, abide by a sexual harm prevention order for seven years and a restraining order for life.

Judge Clemitson said the victim was “particularly vulnerable” when she was attacked and added: “She was incapable of doing anything to protect herself.

“Your actions caused her great distress. She felt it was her fault. She felt dirty. “

The judge said the victim had to live with being called a “liar” and added: “The offence has clearly caused her considerable distress, which in turn has caused difficulty in most spheres of her life.”

Judge Clemitson told Herring: “It is apparent you still maintain your innocence despite the fact the jury convicted you upon wholly convincing evidence.”

The court heard Herring was a steel worker and was a football coach until 2010.

He now has health difficulties that have caused him to have to shield for large parts of the pandemic.

April 2021

Killingworth child rapist robbed young boy of his childhood and left him feeling ‘worthless’

A child rapist who robbed his victim of his childhood and left him feeling worthless has been jailed for 11 years.

Paedophile Peter Hughes subjected the boy to shocking attacks when he was as young as six.

The 47-year-old pleaded guilty to offences including rape, indecent assault and sexual assault during a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court.

As the pervert was jailed, the victim said the impact of Hughes’ abuse had devastated his childhood and the consequences have persisted into adulthood.

He said: “What he made me do to him and what he did to me made me feel worthless about myself.

“I didn’t even want to be alive anymore really.

“I fear someone else might harm me and I’m still terrified of the dark.

“Sometimes I close my eyes and I see him there. Some of the dreams I have, he is there in them.

“All I can see is him. This sometimes prevents me falling asleep or disturbs me when I’m sleeping.”

The victim, who said only his family had stopped him from killing himself, added: “I feel I can’t have a relationship with anyone now. Who would be with me? Who would be with someone as broken as me or with someone who has been molested.

“My childhood has been robbed and now my adulthood has been robbed due to the anxiety I have.

“Peter Hughes took away my opportunity to have a proper education because of the fear and anxiety I felt in school due to what he had done to me.”

Hughes, of Hadrian Court, Killingworth, North Tyneside, who was cautioned for possessing indecent images in 2013, pleaded guilty to two counts of oral rape, indecent assault, and two counts of sexual assault.

Judge Julie Clemitson jailed him for 11 years, plus an extended licence period of an extra year. He will also be subject to sex offender registration, a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order for life.

The judge told Hughes: “His victim impact statement describes how you very clearly robbed him of much of his childhood and your actions have continued to have a profound impact on him into adulthood, so much so he sees no value in his own life.”

April 2021

Pervert was part of paedophile network sharing vile child abuse images online

A paedophile network pervert who took illegal photos of a child was caught with thousands of indecent images and movies of children as young as babies being raped

Adam Lumley exchanged thousands of photographs and videos with like-minded paedophiles online.

The 29-year-old, convicted of indecent exposure last year, had amassed his vile collection between 2013 and 2020.

Newcastle Crown Court he also distributed some of the material and was part of a network of paedophiles sharing images online.

Now Lumley, of Stanton Street, Arthurs Hill, Newcastle, has been jailed for more than three years.

Judge Julie Clemitson told him: “A large number of victims were caused great harm in the making of those images.

“People like you who trade in indecent images of children perpetuate the misery those children suffer as they are abused to produce those images for other people’s sexual gratification.”

Lumley pleaded guilty to distributing indecent images and possessing 2,611 of the most serious, category A, images, including 1,628 movies, all showing the rape or torture of young children

He also had 1,674 category B and 3,021 category C images. 

The ages of the children ranged from babies to 15 year olds.

There were many thousands of other images on his devices and cloud platforms that police did not examine to see if they were illegal.

He admitted he planned to upload some pictures he took of a child doing a private act in exchange for more material from other users.

Lumley also admitted voyeurism, possessing extreme pornography involving an adult and a dog and possessing prohibited images of a child.

When he was interviewed by the police, he admitted he had a sexual interest in children.

Andrew Findlay, prosecuting, said: “He had spoken to others (on online cloud platforms) about their interest in children, fantasising about sexual activity with children and images were exchanged.

“There’s clearly an active involvement in a network that creates and shares images of children.”

Lumley was jailed for three years and two months and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and sex offenders registration for ten years.

The court heard he has lost his marriage as a result of his offending and he he has become very isolated, with most of his family distancing themselves from him as they are appalled.