Latest news with #BournemouthCrownCourt
BBC News
11 hours ago
- BBC News
Man jailed after Poole police officer mauled by dog
A man has been jailed after a police officer was mauled by a motorist's driver ran off shortly after PC Mark Moreland-Francis approached the car in Thwaite Road in Poole, Dorset, at about 23:00 BST on 4 April, Bournemouth Crown Court the same time, the Staffordshire bull terrier-type dog locked on to the policeman's arm and legs, causing him to "scream in pain and fear" and fight the animal off with a Taser, the court was Willis, 32, of South Norwood in London, who previously admitted an offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act as well as driving while disqualified, was jailed for 22 months. In a victim personal statement read by a barrister, PC Moreland-Francis said the assault was the worst in his 15-year said his wounds, which needed surgery, had left him with scars and nerve damage, while the trauma had given him sleepless police body-worn camera footage, which was played in court, the officer repeatedly asked Willis to put the dog back into the animal then attacked him for several seconds, causing the policeman to fall to the ground howling in pain before repeatedly firing the who pleaded guilty to failing to control a dog that caused injury in public, denied actively setting the animal on the he accepted that he should have intervened rather than fleeing, the court dog was found three days after the attack and was put down, police previously Jonathan Fuller KC said Willis was in breach of two community orders and had previous convictions for drug dealing and assaulting a police said: "This was an awful attack by a Staffordshire-type cross terrier, which are intimidating dogs and capable of causing even more serious harm."Anyone listening to the video of the officer screaming in pain and fear would recognise the seriousness of what that dog did and you allowed it to do."He disqualified Willis from driving for 55 months. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Teacher, 33, groomed pupil, 16, for sex on Snapchat then raped her when she tried to cut off contact, court told
A teacher called in sick to meet a female pupil he had groomed for sex on Snapchat – then raped her after she tried to cut off contact, a court heard. Jurors were told Jakob Sorensen became 'obsessed' with the 16-year-old girl and began messaging her on the social media app. Although she thought the 33-year-old was too old for Snapchat she engaged with him which led to him 'sexting' her during school time, the court heard. Sorensen, who was head of science at the school, bought her vapes and alcohol before taking her out in his car where they were intimate. He called in sick the first time he took her out in his car to have sex, jurors were told. After that they went out multiple times a week after school to have sex. The relationship went on for several months until she ended it after starting college, jurors heard. A court heard Sorensen, a father who had a long-term partner, took the break-up badly and became jealous about boys she was seeing. He is alleged to have forced himself on her when they met up again, despite her saying 'no' to sex. Sorensen admits a charge of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust but denies a charge of rape. Bournemouth Crown Court heard on Tuesday how Sorensen had groomed the girl while at a school in the Dorset town, gaining her trust before the teacher 'crossed the line' by sending her his Snapchat name. The girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told police: "I thought he's a bit old for Snapchat and I didn't think that was something teachers and students were allowed to communicate on. "But I didn't want to scare him off and not have that person to confide in." She said Sorenson turned the chat sexual which made her feel 'very uncomfortable' and set off 'alarm bells'. The court was told Sorensen then asked her to meet up outside of school to 'make out'. The girl said: 'I remember feeling quite disturbed, I felt like I was very out of my depth but didn't know what to do. 'I had never had anyone call me beautiful, I was very insecure and had low self-esteem.' After he kissed her for the first time he started 'sexting' during school hours, the court heard. He then called in sick to school the first time he took her out to have sex. He did not use protection and gave her money to get the morning after pill, the jury was told. She told police that from then on they would go out in his car multiple times a week after school to have sex and Sorensen would tell her he was in love with her. She said: "He was telling me how much he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. He wanted me to have his children and said he'd found his soul mate." But the girl did not want a relationship and when she started college she met a boy her own age she had feelings for. She tried to break things off with Sorensen but said he was "distraught". She said: "He would regularly break down and cry. He would make me feel incredibly guilty and tell me how much he needed me." The girl tried to cut off contact several times over the following months but they met up on occasions. She said of the occasion he is alleged to have raped her: "He asked me to have sex with him, I said 'no'. 'I said 'no' multiple times. He kept grabbing me, trying to push me to have sex with him. "He kept saying things like 'you know you want to' then got on top of me. I turned my head away and closed my eyes. "I felt very violated, because I had said no." Sorensen, from Verwood, Dorset, has admitted one charge of sexual activity with a child in a position of trust but denies a charge of rape. The trial continues.
Daily Mail
24-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Man who stole his paedophile uncle's £70,000 savings as he serves 27 years in jail for sex offences joins him behind bars
A man who stole his paedophile uncle's £70,000 while he was in jail has now joined him. Lee Barnett was given power of attorney over Kenneth Rogers's affairs in 2022 when he was jailed for 27 years for historic child sex offences. He was told to sell Roger's house and to put the money into his uncle's bank account so he could access it when he left prison. The sale of the property in Weymouth, Dorset, raised about £150,000 and after fees were paid, the sum left over was £70,000. But the 37-year-old instead sent the entire sum to his own account from July 2022. By the time he was caught and arrested in September 2023, the jailed paedophile's life savings had all been wiped out. He was charged with fraud by abuse of position and went on trial at Bournemouth Crown Court last month. And has now been found guilty and was jailed for three years. Thomas Evans, prosecuting, said that Barnett had committed an 'abuse of trust' and that Rogers had been 'left with nothing'. But the judge said it was wrong to refer to Rogers as a 'vulnerable victim' due to the 'very serious offences' he committed. However, he said the size of the fraud meant he had to impose an immediate custodial sentence. His Honour Judge William Mousley said: 'You are the nephew of Kenneth Rogers, who received a 27-year prison sentence in respect of serious sexual offences. 'As a result of him going to prison, you were asked by him to help look after his financial affairs whilst he was serving his sentence. 'That involved the sale of his house and for the money to be kept so he would have it when he came out of prison. 'You agreed to take power of attorney over his financial affairs and the property was sold in April 2022. 'Between July and August 2022, by various means, you transferred the money to your accounts and in just a few weeks you had taken the whole £70,000. 'It's difficult to see where it all went, but I'm quite sure you weren't investing the money for his benefit. 'To an extent there is the targeting of a vulnerable victim but the victim himself was responsible for his vulnerability by reason of the very serious offences he committed.' The court heard that Barnett, of Chard, Somerset, suffered from ADHD and learning difficulties, He had committed no previous similar offences and was the primary carer for his partner. He sobbed while the judge sent him to prison, where he will serve 40 per cent of his sentence before being released on parole. Rogers, now aged 62, of Weymouth, was found guilty to seven counts of rape of a child under the age of 16, one count of rape of a child under 13, indecent assault, assault of a child under 13 and possession of indecent images of a child after a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court in January 2022. The offences were carried out between the 1980s and 2000s.
Telegraph
23-07-2025
- Telegraph
Man jailed for stealing paedophile's £70k savings
A man who stole his paedophile uncle's £70,000 savings while he was in jail has joined him in prison. Lee Barnett was given power of attorney over the financial affairs of his relative, Kenneth Rogers, who was jailed in 2022 for 27 years over historic child sex offences. He was instructed to sell Rogers' house and put the money in his bank account so he could access it upon his release. The sale of the property in Weymouth, Dorset, raised about £150,000, and after fees were paid, the sum left over was £70,000. But instead of leaving the funds for his uncle, Barnett transferred the entire proceeds into his own accounts from July 2022. By the time the fraud was uncovered and Barnett was arrested in September 2023, Rogers' savings had all been used in ways unknown. Barnett, 37, was charged with fraud by abuse of position and went on trial at Bournemouth Crown Court last month. He was found guilty and has been jailed for three years. Thomas Evans, prosecuting, said that Barnett had committed an 'abuse of trust' and that Rogers, 62, had been 'left with nothing'. But the judge said it was wrong to refer to Rogers as a 'vulnerable victim' because of the 'very serious offences' he committed. However, he said the size of the fraud meant he had to impose an immediate custodial sentence. Justice William Mousley said: 'You are the nephew of Kenneth Rogers, who received a 27-year prison sentence in respect of serious sexual offences. 'As a result of him going to prison, you were asked by him to help look after his financial affairs whilst he was serving his sentence. 'That involved the sale of his house and for the money to be kept so he would have it when he came out of prison. 'You agreed to take power of attorney over his financial affairs and the property was sold in April 2022. 'Between July and August 2022, by various means, you transferred the money to your accounts and in just a few weeks you had taken the whole £70,000. 'It's difficult to see where it all went, but I'm quite sure you weren't investing the money for his benefit.' The court heard that Barnett, of Chard, Somerset, suffered from ADHD and learning difficulties, He had committed no previous similar offences and was the primary carer for his partner. He cried while the judge sent him to prison, where he will serve 40 per cent of his sentence before being released on parole. Rogers, of Weymouth, was found guilty to seven counts of rape of a child under the age of 16, one count of rape of a child under 13, indecent assault, assault of a child under 13, and possession of indecent images of a child after a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court in January 2022. The offences were carried out between the 1980s and 2000s.
Daily Mail
27-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Arsonist who torched 18 cars in drug-fuelled £170,000 rampage that turned quaint market town into 'warzone' faces jail after guilty plea
An arsonist who caused £170,000 worth of damage after setting fire to 18 cars and turned a picturesque town into a 'warzone' has pleaded guilty and is facing jail. David Giddins, 45, went on a drug-fuelled rampage when he began torching parked cars in the rural market town of Wimborne, Dorset. Giddins went from street to street in the early hours of the morning randomly setting light to the vehicles. In two incidents the flames spread to neighbouring buildings with one family forced to flee their flat in their pyjamas. Shocking footage from the time showed the night sky 'glowing orange' from the amount of car fires. By daylight, the area resembled a 'war zone' with the blackened burnt-out shells of cars littering the streets. The vehicles that were destroyed included a £5,000 BMW, a £20,000 Volkswagen Passat and a Land Rover that suffered £3,000 damage. The fire and smoke damage suffered to a first floor flat after a Ford Ka parked below it was torched ran to £76,000. Giddins went from street to street in the early hours of the morning randomly setting light to the vehicles In total, it's estimated that the attacks caused more than £170,000 in damages. The criminal appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court yesterday where he pleaded guilty to 20 charges of arson. Kevin Hill, defending, said: 'He was at the time of the offences under the influence of drugs and alcohol.' Giddins will be sentenced in September while probation and psychiatric reports are carried out on him. The court heard that Giddins, who lives in West Borough in Wimborne, has 'no formal psychiatric history' and has not been diagnosed with any mental health conditions. Judge Fuller also asked for an explanation as to why it has taken the police and CPS so long to bring the case to court. Adam Furze, prosecuting, said: 'I don't have an answer to that. I echo your concerns about how long it has taken. I will ensure a full explanation is given at the sentencing.' Although he was granted bail, Judge Jonathan Fuller warned the arsonist that was not an indication of what his sentence will be. Giddins began his arson spree at about 11pm on May 14, 2023, and went on until about 1.30am the next morning. The fire service received 65 999 calls that night and emergency services rushed to the scene. An NHS nurse was hailed a hero on the night for saving a terrified family from their burning flat. Lisa Dodd, 44, was about to go to bed when she noticed a Ford Ka ablaze in a courtyard below the flat where Ruth Thompson and her two teenage daughters live. Ms Dodd rushed outside and banged on a window to wake the family and alert them to the fire. By that stage, the flames had spread to the property and Ms Thompson and her daughters had to squeeze through a six-inch gap between the blazing car and their flat to make their escape. They were made homeless by the arson attack, and all their clothes and belongings have been ruined by water and smoke damage. The Ford Ka (pictured) car was completely destroyed by the fire Ms Dodd said: 'I immediately ran out to wake them up and get them out. 'If the engine had exploded and set the door on fire there would have been no way out. 'I just wanted to get everyone into safety. If I had been a minute later, the fire would have spread. 'I got to them just in time. It doesn't bear thinking about what could have happened.' Darren Trickett, 60, whose Land Rover Discovery was destroyed on Grove Road, said: 'I woke up when I heard a bang. I looked out the window and saw my car in flames. I was worried that the engine might explode. 'I ran out of the house to try to get the fire extinguisher from the boot but the central locking wouldn't work. I just stood and watched. I just can't believe it.'
