Saturday, 23 June 2012

Cocaine Courier Caught Returning From Caribbean Family Holiday


A cocaine smuggler, caught with nearly £1m worth of the drug hidden inside two suitcases as he returned with his family from his Caribbean wedding anniversary trip, was jailed for six years yesterday.


Winston Williamson, 52, of Milership House, Shropshire Way, West Bromwich, West Midlands, claims violent loan sharks he owed money to pressured him into the illicit importation.


He was arrested and charged along with his wife Mernel McNaughton, 46, of Wallows Lane, Bescot, Walsall and his niece Nadine Burris, 35, of Sadler House, Newton Drive, Birmingham.


All three, accompanied by three young children, were stopped at Gatwick Airport on March 3 after a covert examination of one of their bags.


Williamson (pictured) pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to importing cocaine and the same charge was dropped against the two women after he insisted they knew nothing about the smuggling operation.


“The mischief and misery that could have been caused by that amount of cocaine in incalculable,” the Recorder of Croydon Judge Warwick McKinnon told Williamson.


“This is a very large amount and you played a significant role.


“You were in this with your eyes open. You knew what you were getting into and did it for the money.”


Eight kilos of cocaine with a purity of 62-81% was found hidden in the bottom of two sports bags – one carried by Williamson and the other left uncollected.


Prosecutor Mr. Hamish Reid told the court the parties’ baggage was identified at the airport’s north terminal.


“One of the bags, in the name of McNaughton, was of interest and these three defendants and the three children with them were intercepted.


“When questioned Williamson said one of the bags was his and the other, which had been left, was Burris’s.


“Williamson’s bag was inspected and the base felt thick and was bulging,” explained Mr. Reid. “The bag was x-rayed, revealing packages in the base that contained white powder.”


A second bag, identified with Burris’s name tag, was also examined.


“It felt heavier than expected and the x-ray revealed something in the base and white powder was found that tested positive for cocaine.


“Williamson said he was experiencing financial difficulties and was under pressure to debtors to carry drugs back.


‘He said he was given two bags to carry back and gave one of them to Burris.


“He said his wife and cousin had no knowledge as to what was being carried in the suitcases.”


The prosecutor submitted the presence of the two women and three children were there to provide cover for the smuggling operation.


“He does not accept he used his wife and his niece as a decoy,” said Williamson’s lawyer Mr. Steve Akinsanya. “He had a change of mind having brought the drugs from Jamaica and left one of the cases behind.


“He had borrowed a sum of money that doubled in four weeks and he and his family were threatened. He agreed to go to Jamaica and bring back the drugs.”


The trip doubled as an anniversary celebration with his wife and an opportunity for Burris, who is engaged, to explore the possibility of getting married there, the court was told.

Friday, 22 June 2012

Three Executives Jailed For Multi-Million Pound Sainsbury's Potato Scandal


A greedy Sainsbury's potato buyer, lavished with cash and luxury hospitality totalling £4.9m in return for corruptly granting a multi-million pound contract, was jailed for four years today along with two executives.


Buyer John Maylam, 45, (pic.top) ran up a £200,000 bill at London's Claridge's Hotel; enjoyed a luxury £350,000 twelve-day fortieth birthday holiday to the Monaco Grand Prix; a £93,000 "shiny, black" Aston Martin car and received cash payments totalling hundreds of thousands of pounds stuffed inside brown envelopes.


He guaranteed the lucrative contract with Greenvale AP, whose account manager David Baxter, 50, (pic.mid.) received two-and-a-half years and finance director Andrew Behagg, 60, (pic.bottom) three years.


Maylam, of Blakeney Close, Bearstead, Maidstone pleaded guilty to corruption between January 1, 2006 and January 1, 2008 by accepting gifts from the Greenvale AP directors and acquiring criminal property, namely £1,158m held in a Luxembourg bank account.


Baxter, of Holly House, Chester Road, Hinstock, Market Drayton pleaded guilty to corruptly giving Maylam gifts and consideration between the same dates and acquiring criminal property, namely goods, services and cash between June 1 and July 1, 2007.


Behagg, of London Road, Cambridge, denied, but was convicted of corruption, claiming he was the victim of "extortion" by Maylam.


"There will be many who find the details of this extravagance fascinating and some who may find it entertaining," Croydon Crown Court Judge Nicholas Ainley told the defendants. "Put simply this is bribery and corruption, also corruption involving theft on a huge scale.


"Greenvale wanted to keep the contract……worth forty million pounds and offered Maylam all the lavish entertainment he wanted, over one million pounds of it, in order to save the business.


"It was theft because it was not Greenvale paying the bribe, Sainsbury's were. Sainsbury's' corrupt employee Maylam was allowing himself to be bribed with his own employers money.


"All three of you knew it and all three of you approved it.


"As far as Maylam and Baxter were concerned it was a till to be rifled and Behagg signed-off ludicrous expenses claims, knowing his company would not be paying the money, but Sainsbury's would."


The judge told Maylam: "You abused that trust so you could lead the life of a rich man and what started off as a generous requirement of expenses ended up as utter abuse."


Baxter, who developed liver cirrhosis because he was drinking so much champagne and fine wine, was told: "You also took the opportunity to lead the life of a rich man as someone else's expense. You gave Maylam everything he asked for."


Judge Ainley told Behagg: "You knew Sainsbury's were the victims of theft on a vast scale, yet you signed-off all these invoices."


Maylam's lawyer Mr. Nicholas Walker told the court: "The public will view the spending and consumption out of touch and excessive to the point of vulgarity."


The on-time "uber-performer" claims family and friends have "dropped him like a brick" and Mr. Walker added: "He knows that he faces ruin. Financial ruin."


"What this case concerns is corruption on a massive scale through the payments of excessive gifts and hospitality," said prosecutor Mr. Paul Ozin. "As a result of the corruption Greenvale gained the benefit of keeping Sainsbury's' valuable business and overcharging Sainsbury's for potatoes."


The £40m contract was ratified by Maylam and Greenvale poured £8.7m of Sainsbury's money into an account nicknamed 'The Fund' - paying Maylam and his associates £4.9m and keeping the remainder for themselves.


"Mr. Maylam was corrupted with wholly excessive gifts and hospitality to show favour to Greenvale and work against the interests of his own employers," explained Mr. Ozin. "The hospitality ran into many hundreds of thousands of pounds.


"Firstly they reimbursed Mr. Maylam's own extravagant expenses after he entertained himself at luxury restaurants and hotels, paying his bills at luxury london hotel's, including Claridge's, which came to two hundred thousand pounds.


"Not only was he staying at the hotel, but he was using it as a bank and withdrawing thousands of pounds.


"There were further payments for luxury holidays abroad and very, very lavish corporate entertainment."


Maylam received £85,000 for an unnecessary consultancy report; money was funnelled into John Maylam Potato Consultants; he and Baxter consumed "dozens and dozens" of bottles of expensive vintage Dom Perignon champagne at Claridge's - often followed by a fine claret.


Baxter also enjoyed an all-expenses Antigua trip - financed by 'The Fund' - received an £85,000 BMW M5 from Maylam and spent a total of 77 nights at Claridge's.


Maylam's bill for a presidential suite during the GP was £48,000 alone and receipts proved a £200 bottle of Dom Perignon was bought for him at the five-star Mandarin Hotel, Knightsbridge shortly before an £843 sushi meal.


He was also entertained at the luxury Blue Palace Resort & Spa, Crete, where Greenvale ensured there was a bottle of chilled Veuve Clicquot champagne on his arrival, plus a bouquet of freshly-cut flowers and strawberries and cream.


Sainsbury's own code of conduct demands all hospitality gifts must be placed in a charity raffle and failure to do so may result in misconduct proceedings and dismissal.


"Further money was syphoned off by Mr. Maylam by using bogus businesses pretending to be something else and became another way of taking lot's of money," added the prosecutor.


"One and a half million pounds was paid to Mr. Maylam through third parties and a bank account in Luxembourg. The payments were made on the bogus basis they were for potato research or storage of potatoes in Spain.


"A peculiar feature of the corruption was that it was self-funding. Greenvale were not paying for it, Sainsbury's were paying for the corruption of their own buyer and this was achieved by overcharging Sainsbury's."


Baxter was based at offices in Tern Hill, Warrant Road, Stoke Heath and gave evidence against Behagg, who worked from Harvest House, Bridge Street, Chatteris. "Mr. Baxter paints a picture of corruption that goes to the very heart of Greenvale. To the senior management," said Mr. Ozin.


Baxter claims Maylam had an arrangement with the company's chief executive officer from June, 2005 to receive secret cash reimbursements for his expenses.


"Mr. Maylam sent his receipts in envelopes to Mr. Baxter's home address to avoid Greenvale scrutiny and he then took them to Mr. Behagg. Mr. Baxter would then deliver the cash in a brown envelope to Mr. Maylam.


"Mr Baxter says 'The Fund' was discussed in senior management meetings that were attended by Mr. Behagg, who explained to the others what went through the books.


"Mr. Maylam then made it clear he wanted more and was told the payment could be for a consultancy report, which was suggested by Mr. Behagg. This resulted in a payment of eighty-five thousand pounds."


Sainsbury's also ended up paying more for Greenvale's potatoes than agreed.


"What happened under Sainsbury's radar was that Mr. Maylam was agreeing to massive increases in the price of potatoes. The prices were much too high.


"One technique was to add on one pound to a crate and with the volume we are talking about it soon adds up," said Mr. Ozin. "They also supplied smaller packs for the same price and there were illogical prices for new packs."


A financial investigation into the defendants assets will follow.

Thursday, 21 June 2012

Illegal's Dream Of Starting Life In Britain Granted


A Pakistani illegal immigrant, asphyxiated his sister-in-law with a plastic bag before setting fire to her East London family home, to guarantee her silence.

Abdul Jabbar, 54, (pictured) of Palmerston Road, Walthamstow became obsessed by 27 year-old Fiza Asif’s knowledge of his status and murdered her when the rest of her family were out.

He was convicted by an Old Bailey jury and sentenced to life imprisonment – with a twenty-three year minimum.

The fire brigade were called to a blaze at the address on January 4, last year and the mother-of-five’s body was found.

Jabbar’s motive was a feeling of control and power Fiza had over him and knowing he could face deportation if she ever reported him.

He ensured her young children – his nieces and nephews - were not at the family home when he murdered Fiza.

Her husband, Muhammed Arshad, 42, was visiting Pakistan, but was also charged with murder and appeared in the dock alongside his brother, but was cleared.

A third man, Ibrahim Farooq, 20, was cleared of perverting the course of justice.

CCTV evidence showed Jabbar purchasing 5 litres of petrol that morning and evidence confirmed that petrol was poured over the victim’s body and in the bedroom where she was discovered.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Steve Meechan, who led the investigation, said: “This was a calculated and premeditated act by an individual who was trusted by the victim and her family.

“He lived within the family home and had day to day dealings with their family lives. 


“The actions taken by Jabbar were as a result of a desire to be rid of a young intelligent woman who threatened his illegal existence in this country and who held more power than he was able to deal with. 



“Jabbar adopted the pose of a grieving relative throughout the investigation but was unable to hide the lies provided to police as the evidence against him was uncovered.

“His actions now leave five young children motherless and a family torn apart as a result.”


Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Pub Glassing Thug Locked-Up


A pub customer, who punched a teenage girl in the face before striking her father over the back of the head with a glass and reigning down a flurry of blows, was jailed for two years and four months today.


Tyre fitter Rhys Henley, 25, (pictured) of Sanderstead Road, Croydon was captured on CCTV striking the victim to the head and body approximately ten times after he was floored by the blow from behind with the glass.


The father-of-two denied, but was convicted by a Croydon Crown Court jury of affray at the John Jackson pub, Woodcote Road, Wallington in September, last year and assaulting the 16 year-old girl.


"Prison it must be and and prison today," Judge Ruth Downing told tearful Henley, whose daughter is recovering in hospital from meningitis.


"I would be failing in my duty if the message did not go out that young men, such as yourself, who go out to public houses and beat people in front of others, face imprisonment.


"Why should people have to sit and watch your conduct.


"It was unprovoked and disproportionate to any slight you may have felt.


"It was premeditated and I found the CCTV images chilling of you walking across the pub, picking up a glass or bottle from a table, and hiding it behind your back.


"You hit him as hard as you could and when he went down you hit him repeatedly. The violence was repeated and not in self-defence."

Tuesday, 19 June 2012

Bargain-Store Poundland Sold Resealed Biscuits Nibbled By Mice


Bargain store chain Poundland have been caught re-sealing packets of sweets and biscuits, which had been gnawed by mice and rodents, and putting them back on the shelves at one of their busiest shop's.


The company were fined a total of £24,000 today for continuing to sell food at their Whitgift Centre store in Croydon, (pictured) which had been contaminated by mouse droppings and urine and gnawed by vermin.


"An experienced environmental health officer was shocked by what he had seen," prosecutor Mr. David McNeill told Croydon Magistrates' Court.


"Food that had been gnawed by mice, instead of being disposed of, was re-sealed with cellotape by staff and put back on sale."


Poundland, of Wellmans Road, Willehall, West Midlands admitted five summonses of breaching General Food and Food Hygiene Regulations brought by Croydon Council and were also ordered to pay £2,910 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.


They admitted failing to withdraw food unfit for human consumption; failing to protect food from contamination; failing to control mice; failing to keep the store clean and in good repair and condition and failing to implement and maintain their own food safety management system.


Mr. McNeill explained customer complaints prompted the inspection on November 22, last year, which revealed mice had gnawed their way through the door brushes of a storage area, which contained many chocolate products.


"In that area the boxes containing chocolate products had droppings inside and there was evidence of rodents eating the food.


"In the main shop food packages on sale had been gnawed by mice and the contents had spilled onto shelves where it mixed with mice droppings," said Mr. McNeill.


"A dead mouse was also found under one of the shelves and it was obvious the shelves had not been cleaned for some considerable time."


Ironically Pestokill, who have a contract with Poundland, had visited the store just five days earlier, but their recommendations of improved cleaning and the placement of mouse traps were not implemented.


Poundland's lawyer Mr. Alan Millband told the court: "The organisation are taking these matters very seriously. Poundland is not in the business of selling sub-standard products.


"If the systems were followed this would not have happened," added Mr. Millband. "There has patently been a store manager failure and the company feels let-down by Pestokill."


The store manager was not disciplined by Poundland and is now assisted by a second manager.

Monday, 18 June 2012

Car Dealer Scarred With Boiling Water During Kidnap And Ransom Ordeal


A successful East London garage owner was kidnapped by a violent, ruthless gang motivated by "sheer greed" who poured boiling water on him during a three-day ordeal while demanding ransom payments, a jury have been told.


Father-of-two Sukjinder Seyan - boss of 'Prestige Car Specialists', Balmoral Road, Forest Gate - needed skin grafts to his legs after his rescue by Scotland Yard's Kidnap Unit and is scarred for life.


Two alleged members of the gang, Ashley Fields, 22, (pic.l.) of Crescent Road, Dagenham and 27 year-old Safeer Rahman (pic.r.) of Tumulus Way, Colchester, Essex deny involvement in the plot.


"To put it bluntly he was tortured," prosecutor Mr. Roger Smart told the Croydon Crown Court jury. "The motive was one of sheer greed.


"They thought it would be easy money to take a local businessman and brutally harm the hostage until a substantial amount of money was exchanged for his release."


The court was told mobile phone records link both defendants with the rest of the gang and Rahman - who knew the victim - was the job's "inside man" providing information on Mr. Seyan.


"This group of people thought long and hard about what they were doing," explained Mr. Smart. "There was reconnaissance and one failed attempt before they regrouped on another day.


"They had a stronghold where they kept Mr. Seyan, they had equipment there, held him there and made him call people to get money and brutally assaulted him.


"Mr. Seyan was held for three days and was badly burned by boiling water being poured over him on a number of occasions.


"He has had to undergo surgery to graft skin over the burns and is permanently scarred as a result."


The victim was held at Express Drive, Ilford by other members of the gang who have already been convicted and neither Fields or Rahman is accused of physically harming him.


Fields' role is alleged to be as a "look out" and general assistant to the plan and Rahman was with the victim minutes before he was abducted - allegedly feeding information to his co-conspirators.


Other gang members, armed with a fake police warrant card, approached Mr. Seyan on January 8, last year and bundled him into a vehicle while demanding £350,000 from his safe.


At the 'stronghold' he was pushed onto a mattress and a blanket was thrown over his head, before the gang boiled a kettle of water and poured it over Mr. Seyan's leg and ankle.


He was gagged and bound with tape before a second kettle of boiling water was poured over his left leg and the next day more boiling water was poured over his left arm.


On January 9 Mr. Seyan's wife received a £50,000 ransom demand and immediately called the police who tracked the victim's location via mobile phone signals.


The gang also phoned the victim's girlfriend, demanding the same sum, and frustrated by a lack of progress poured boiling water over his back.


Mr. Seyan was rescued by police, back-up by armed officers, as he sat in a car with his captors outside Arthur Wallis House.


Both Fields and Rahman have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to kidnap, falsely imprison and blackmail on or before January 10, last year.


Trial continues………….

Sunday, 17 June 2012

Knife-Wielding Rapist Who Broke Into Lone Woman's Flat Is Caged


A knife-wielding sex beast – who broke into a woman’s East London flat in the middle of the night and raped and robbed her – has been locked-up for a minimum of six years.

Salim Ahmed Khan, 38, (pictured) pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court to two counts of rape, three of attempted rape and one of burglary involving the same victim on February 25.

He was given an indeterminate sentence for the protection of the public and will only be released when assessed as safe.

The sentencing judge told the defendant: “You are a cold and calculating individual who poses a high risk to the public.”

Khan was quickly arrested by rape-specialist Sapphire officers, who matched his fingerprints to the 41 year-old woman’s Stepney flat.

She had woken up at around 3:30am after hearing a noise.

As she turned on the bedside lamp she saw the suspect standing in her bedroom.

He rushed towards her, switched off the light, and threatened her with a large kitchen knife, which he held to her face and neck before demanding money and raping her.

As Khan was leaving, he grabbed her rucksack, two laptops, a mobile phone and a camera.

During a subsequent search of Khan’s mother’s address in nearby Cable Street detectives recovered the victim’s rucksack and photo identification.

Detective Inspector Michael Reay said: “The victim suffered a terrifying ordeal in what should have been the safety and sanctity of her own home.

“Khan then went on to exploit his elderly and disabled mother by using her address, which he rarely visited, to hide property from the offence.”

Saturday, 16 June 2012

"Sexual Predator" Science Teacher Jailed For Raping Schoolgirl


A science teacher who took a 14 year-old schoolgirl pupil's virginity when raping her in a hotel room - before embarking on a secret three-year affair with the teen - was jailed for twelve years yesterday.


Keith Ogunsola, 47, (pictured) of Banstead, Surrey repeatedly had sex with the girl in his car and even at her home, while she was wearing her school uniform, Croydon Crown Court heard.


"The effect you have had on that young girl is devastating," Judge Jeff Blackett told the father-of-three, whose wife has stood by him throughout the case.


"You are a sexual predator of the worst kind who abused your position as a teacher to satisfy your own perverted lust. You pose a serious risk to such girls in the future."


Prosecutor Miss Hannah Llewellyn-Waters said: "She feels her teenage years were stolen from her by a man she trusted, but took her innocence."


Judge Blackett told emotionless Ogunsola: "You offered to drive her home and forcibly kissed her on the lips and a month later asked her to meet you in a hotel room for extra tuition and raped her.


"When she threatened to break away from you two years later you raped her again. You forced her onto a bed and ripped her clothes."


The defendant was found guilty of two counts of rape, receiving consecutive eight and four-year sentences, three sample counts of engaging in sexual activity with a 14 year-old girl while in a position of trust, receiving four years concurrent and one count of sexual assault, receiving six months concurrent.


Ogunsola will have to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and and Sexual Offences Prevention Order was made prohibiting him working with children aged under sixteen or having unsupervised contact with any child.


The victim only came forward after reading press reports of the defendant's conviction and suspended sentence at Snaresbrook Crown Court for sexually assaulting a teenage schoolgirl he taught in East London.


Miss Llewellyn-Waters told the jury at the start of the trial: "She turned to him for additional guidance and this defendant betrayed her trust by exploiting her naivety and respect for him for his own sexual gratification."


Ogunsola "groomed" the girl - a former pupil at Stanley Park High School, Carshalton - where he was employed between September 1998 and December 2001.


"He created a bond of trust in his capacity as her teacher and tested the water by kissing her and when she did not complain he escalated his grooming process and took her virginity from her with an act of rape.


"She was manoeuvred into a position where she did not tell anyone, believing her word would not be believed against a teacher and the defendant told her what to do, say and wear," explained Miss Llewellyn-Waters.


"She lied to her family about where she was going and what was happening and the defendant told her if anyone found out they would not believe her and her friends and family would consider her a slag.


"When she wanted to have a boyfriend he became jealous and when she refused to have sex with the defendant he ripped her clothes off and raped her again."


In January, 2001 Ogunsola "persisted" in offering the reluctant schoolgirl a lift in his car and when eventually persuaded he drove her to Beddington Park.


"He told her she was pretty and he really fancied her," explained the prosecutor. "He leaned over, pulled her toward him, and she remembers he was trying to stick his tongue into her mouth."


It was her first-ever kiss.


Under the guise of helping her with extra GCSE studies Ogunsola lured the girl to a Purley Way hotel.


"The defendant started to kiss her, pushed her back on the bed, and climbed on top of her," Miss Llewellyn-Waters told the jury. "She was telling him to get off, but he ignored her pleas and told her to be quiet.


"He puled her trousers and underwear down, had his weight against her, and then raped her.


"She repeatedly told him to get off her and that he was hurting her, but he told her to be quiet because she was resisting him and crying."


Ogunsola then pursued and under-age affair and would collect the girl after school for sex in his car in the Purley area and they stayed at local hotels and overnight in Southend, Milton Keynes and Gatwick.


He played her a pornographic dvd on his laptop in one hotel room, put her on 'the pill' and ordered her to wear skirts without knickers because it made sex more convenient for him, the court was told.


After leaving Stanley Park Ogunsola continued 'tutoring' the girl during her A levels and allegedly raped her again during a row about her new boyfriend in an Imperial Way hotel.


"He pushed her onto the bed and as he tried to pull her skirt up he ripped it," explained Miss Llewellyn-Waters. "He puled off her underwear and had sex with her."

Friday, 15 June 2012

Evil Paedophiles Pose As Train Enthusiasts To Snare Boys


Two men, who groomed and then systematically abused four vulnerable boys they met on train enthusiasts’ Internet forums, have been convicted of a catalogue of sex offences

Andrew George Mower, 67, (pic.top) of Tryfan Close, Ilford and his lodger Darren Leslie Smith, 39, (pic.bottom) were found guilty by a Snaresbrook Crown Court jury.

Mower was convicted of 10 counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, an attempted rape and three rapes.

The counts relate to four boys aged between 13 and 16 years over a five-year period between 2006 and 2011.

He was also found guilty of 1 count of possessing indecent photographs of children.

Smith was convicted of 13 counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, 12 counts of rape and two counts of penetrative sexual activity with a child.

The counts relate to the same four boys in the same five-year period.

He was also found guilty of several representative counts of possession of indecent images.

The court heard how Mower would identify and contact potential victims by surfing the Internet and engaging in online chats with young boys.

He would specifically target young vulnerable boys on specialist rail forums before encouraging them to meet in person at train conventions or transport museums.

Once they had agreed to meet him Mower would begin to ask inappropriate questions of a sexual nature and invite them to visit his home in Ilford.

Here they were introduced to Smith whose apparent aim was to impress the boys with his knowledge of smart phones and computer technology.

The boys would be given mobile phones from Mower, which he used to maintain and control regular contact with them.

Mower and Smith would then manipulate contact the boys had with their family and friends in a bid to alienate them.

The jury heard how the men would allow the boys freedom within their home, offer them gifts and money and ply them with alcohol before persuading them to undress and perform sexual acts.

This progressed to both men sexually assaulting and raping the boys.

It was only when the boys came into contact with one another, both in person and on the computer rail forums, that they realised the scale of the abuse and felt compelled to report the offences to police.

An investigation was launched by officers from the Met’s Sapphire Command Complex Case Team and on August 2, last year both Mower and Smith were arrested at their home address.

Detective Chief Inspector Carl Mehta, who led the investigation, said at the conclusion of the case: “Sapphire aim to provide a supportive service to victims, whose care is at the heart of each investigation.

“We want all victims to know that we will conduct a thorough and robust investigation.

“We want all sex offenders to know that our dedicated teams are there to trace and pursue them until they are bought to justice.

“Mower and Smith deliberately targeted young and vulnerable boys by claiming to share their hobbies and interests.

“They gained their trust, alienated them from loved ones in a bid to exercise control over them and then sexually assaulted them.

“I pay tribute to the enormous courage of each victim who came forward and reported their abuse and supported this prosecution to bring these men to justice.

“We hope that this result will bring them and their families the sense of closure they fully deserve and we would urge any other victims to come forward and speak to us.”

Mower and Smith were remanded in custody and will be sentenced on July 6.