A depraved police officer has been jailed after he was caught sexually assaulting a girl under 10 during a call to her home. PC Dean Dempster was called to a property in Oldham in 2023, but switched off his body-camera to carry out a sickening attack on the girl. He later took a picture of the abuse on his own phone. The uniformed response officer and other cops were scrambled following reports of 'screaming and shouting' inside the family home. Liverpool Crown Court was told how the 35-year-old took the girl to a room to ask her about what had happened, but instead molested her. His young victim later demonstrated to another member of the family how Dempster, of West Didsbury, had pulled down her pyjamas and knickers and touched her genitals. "He did this to me - I'm not lying," the girl told the family member. Prosecutor Vanessa Thomson said that when the girl was told about the importance of telling the truth, the girl said: "That's the truth. That's what he did to me." The subsequent police investigation into Dempster found he had a 'sexual interest in children' and before he had started his shift that day he had accessed websites after searching for 'girls in diapers and pull ups', 'girls in nice underwear' and 'little girls on the beach and pool'. The following day, after he paraded on for duty, his inspector informed Dempster there had been a complaint about him concerning sexual touching of a child, the court heard. He was put on restricted duties and told there was a 'gap' in his police body-cam footage. When the officer made an 'unsolicited comment' alleging the girl had pulled her pants down when he asked her to lift her top to check for bruising, his inspector became suspicious and Dempster was arrested, said Ms Thomson. Dempster admitted sexual assault on a child under 13, misconduct in a public office and six counts of making indecent images of children. A judge handed Dempster an extended sentence 'for the public protection' of 14 years. It includes a 'custodial' element of nine years which allows him to apply for release to the Parole Board after six years. He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must sign the sex offenders' register for life. Read the full story here. (Image: PA) 1 of 4
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Colin Brown
An army veteran who was part of a mob who attacked a lone black man on Piccadilly Gardens when rival protests erupted into violence has been jailed. A judge said it was a 'genuine tragedy' that father-of-two Colin Brown, from Northern Moor, who has been left with PTSD after being shot during a tour of Afghanistan, had ended up behind bars. The 37-year-old joined a 'racist' mob which breached police barricades erected in Manchester city centre to keep rival groups apart. They then were involved in a confrontation with a lone male, who was then attacked by the group during a summer of trouble up and down the country. The defendant took part in what was described in court as a 'far right' protest which gathered in Piccadilly Gardens on August 3 but it clashed with a group of pro-Palestine counter demonstrators, Manchester Crown Court heard. A 'large number of police' were deployed who erected metal fencing to keep the opposing factions apart but 'widespread disorder' took place with the fencing being ripped down, missiles being thrown and shops coming under attack, prosecutor Philip Hall told the court. Footage gathered by the subsequent police investigation showed a lone black male being attacked by a group of white men. Brown was part of the group although he 'does not make physical contact' with the black male during the confrontation, said Mr Hall. Brown served in the military for 15 years and decided he wanted to 'show solidarity' by attending the protest after the fatal stabbings of three children in Southport because he had seen children 'slaughtered' in the middle east, said Mr Farr. Brown had a 'distinguished' career in the army and had served in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Iraq, the court was told. Diagnosed with PTSD, he still suffers 'flashbacks', depression and anxiety, said Mr Farr. Judge John Potter told Brown: "It's a genuine tragedy to find you sitting in a criminal court awaiting sentence for serious criminal offending. But that's the reality of the situation that you have brought upon yourself." The judge said Brown was 'part of the far right group' in Piccadilly Gardens. Noting that the defendant insisted he should not be viewed as racist, Judge Potter said Brown 'chose to stand shoulder to shoulder with others who clearly were' who were shouting 'racist slogans and aimed violence at people who were not white'. Brown, of Moorcroft Road in Northern Moor, was jailed for two years and four months after he admitted violent disorder and a charge of robbery. Read the full story here. (Image: gmp) 2 of 4
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Robert Houghton
A vile sexual predator 'ignored his victims' please for him to stop' as he raped and sexually assaulted two women. Robert Houghton, from Macclesfield, has now been jailed for more than 12 years. A court heard how in January 2023, a woman reported that between 2020 and 2022, Houghton had raped and attempted to rape her. He would be sexually aggressive towards her and would force items into her mouth, so she struggled to breath. Houghton was arrested in relation to the offences but denied the allegations, however was later charged with the attacks. Then, in February 2024, another woman reported that she had been sexually assaulted by Houghton in Congleton. During the incident, which occurred in 2022, Houghton had touched her without her permission and despite her asking him to stop, he then forced her to touch him, court heard. He was also arrested and charged in connection with the attack. Houghton, of Moss Lane, Macclesfield, appeared at Chester Crown Court and was jailed for 12 years and six months. The 29-year-old was found guilty of multiple sexual offences, including rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and causing a female to engage in sexual activity without consent. On top of his custodial sentence, he is subject to restraining orders in respect to both victims. Following his sentencing, Detective Constable Doug Whitfield said: “I would like to commend the victims in this case for speaking to police about what happened to them. While they will never be able to forget what they have been through, I hope the lengthy sentence handed down to Houghton will give them some sense of closure. “Houghton is clearly a sexual predator and is now in custody where he cannot subject further woman to this abhorrent behaviour. He showed absolutely no regard for his victims; he knew exactly what he was doing and ignored his victims’ pleas for him to stop. “I’d like to take the opportunity to encourage anyone who may have also been a victim of sexual assault to please get in touch. We will do all we can to tackle any incident of this nature.” Read the full story here. (Image: Cheshire Police) 3 of 4
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Lee Ablitt and Christopher Thompson
A gym owner and doorman's huge £2million steroid plot was uncovered after police stopped a car on the M56 motorway. Lee Ablitt, from Newton-le-Willows, was stopped on the motorway for being a disqualified driver back in October 2021. Officers searched his car and found a multiple boxes of class C drugs, North Wales Live reports. Police then searched two storage containers in Rhyl, registered to 51-year-old Ablitt. They uncovered a huge amount of steroid and performance enhancing drugs, as well as £483,968 in cash in a suitcase. Detectives were then able to link Ablitt to Christopher Thompson, 49, from Wigan - who had been sending lists of drugs to Ablitt that customers were requesting. The pair were said to have been running a 'sophisticated operation' to sell the steroids, with both now locked up for their roles in the enterprise. Prosecutor Sion ap Mihangel told Mold Crown Court how the men had stored 'industrial' amounts of steroids across North Wales and the north-west of England. This totalled 1,326,000 steroid tablets and 64,870 millilitres of liquid steroids worth a total of between £1.5m to £2.1m. The court heard how Ablitt said he started bodybuilding when he was a teenager and started bulking steroids - along with others to spread the cost - and they were then supplied on demand. Robert Kearney, defending him in court, said it was a sad tale and that he had become addicted to steroids. He said Ablitt looked 'physically strong' but he had trouble with diabetes, and body shape and confidence issues. Keith Harrison, defending Thompson, said he worked hard with two jobs in the security industry and 'bitterly regrets' getting involved. The judge jailed Ablitt, of Hoy Drive, Newton-le-Willows, for five years for conspiracy to supply a controlled Class C drug. Thompson, of Scott Lane, Wigan, was jailed for 33 months for the same offence. Read the full story here. 4 of 4