Source: Court News Cambridge Constabulary published on this website Monday 17 August 2026 by Jill Powell

A man who shared explicit images of himself with what he mistakenly thought was a 14-year-old girl has been jailed.

Iain Fleming, 53, began communicating with the account in March last year, not knowing it was a decoy run by an online child abuse activist group.

Despite the “girl” telling Fleming she was only 14 several times, he continued sexual communication with her and sent explicit images of himself.

Police were contacted by the child activist group, and officers swiftly arrested Fleming at his Peterborough home.

After seizing his mobile phone, it was also revealed Fleming had contacted what was believed to be a 15-year-old girl. Again, Fleming continued with explicit conversations, telling her she had a beautiful body and that he wanted to kiss her all over.

At Peterborough Crown Court on 7 August, Fleming, of Millfield, Peterborough, was jailed for three years and two months after admitting to two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and one count of attempting to incite a girl to engage in sexual activity.

DC Lloyd Davis, who investigated, said: “Fleming clearly poses a significant risk to children.

“Despite the ‘girl’ in this case being a decoy account, Fleming still attempted to prey on and groom what he believed was a child.

“This kind of sexual exploitation can have devastating effects on a child’s development, mental health and self-esteem that continue into adulthood, so I am pleased he is now behind bars for his crimes.”

For more on child abuse, including how to report it and spot the signs, please visit the dedicated pages on the force website.

Source: Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC) published on this website Tuesday 28 July 2026 by Jill Powell

The convictions of a woman who was groomed and sexually exploited as a child have today been quashed by the Crown Court, following a referral by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). 

The CCRC referred Ms AB’s convictions to the Crown Court in May 2026 after concluding there was a real possibility they would not be upheld because her prosecution may have amounted to an abuse of process.

Ms AB was convicted in December 2002, aged 14, of being carried in a stolen motor vehicle, possession of an imitation firearm and assault. She received a non-custodial sentence. 

The CCRC’s investigation found compelling evidence that, at the time of the offences, Ms AB had been the victim of child sexual exploitation and grooming. The CCRC concluded there was a real possibility that the failures of public authorities to identify and protect Ms AB meant she had been unable to effectively participate in the proceedings and consider any defences open to her. 

At the time of her convictions, she was said to be “in a relationship” with a man she had met when she was 11 years old. During an interview with the CCRC she explained the man would bring food to her house, flatter her and make her feel special.  

Within months, the interactions with the man became sexual, and she was encouraged to have sex with his friends. She explained that he would use violence and emotional blackmail to get her to comply. At the time of her offences, she was living in a children’s home.

The CCRC referral followed publication of Baroness Louise Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, which highlighted widespread institutional failings in protecting children from grooming gangs. This was the first case referred by the Commission involving the convictions of a grooming gang victim in light of those findings.

CCRC Chair Dame Vera Baird KC said: “We welcome today’s decision. Ms AB was just 14 when these offences were committed. Rather than being recognised as a vulnerable child in need of protection, the evidence shows she was failed by the very institutions that should have kept her safe.

“One can only lament the lack of insight, in particular, from the police at the time,  that she was prosecuted, when she should have been protected. She would have had no choice but to plead guilty at the magistrates’ court, which she did, exactly as she had no choice but to commit the offences, since she was, at both times, in the grip of a groomer.

“Our investigation concluded there was a real possibility that, because of those failures, her prosecution amounted to an abuse of process. The Crown Prosecution Service Court has now reached the same conclusion and did not oppose the application today. We are grateful to them for their careful consideration of Ms AB’s case.

“Many children who were victims of grooming and sexual exploitation were treated as offenders rather than children in need of protection. We now have a better understanding of the devastating impact that exploitation, coercion and control can have on a young person’s ability to make free choices. 

“The CCRC has received other applications concerning grooming gangs, and there is a real body of in-house expertise to help with them now. We will always be ready to talk with such applicants with the help of a trauma-informed member of a trafficking charity or anyone else who the applicant would like to be with them, so that there is a lesser risk of re-traumatising them by the need to re-visit, perhaps, long-ago times which they will remember potentially with great pain.

“I hope this decision and this reassurance will give confidence to others who may have been in similar circumstances.” 

Where new evidence demonstrates that a conviction may be unsafe, the CCRC will investigate carefully and independently. People do not have to approach us on their own; they can ask a solicitor, charity or support organisation to help them make an application.

The CCRC received Ms AB’s application in January 2024. During its investigation, the Commission obtained evidence about the grooming and exploitation she experienced as a child, including evidence that was not before the courts when she pleaded guilty in 2002.

Having reviewed the material, the CCRC concluded there was a real possibility the Crown Court would find the convictions unsafe because the failures to protect Ms AB and investigate the abuse she was suffering deprived her of the opportunity to receive a fair trial and properly advance any available defence.

The Crown Court has today allowed the appeal and quashed the conviction

The CCRC is an independent body set up under the Criminal Appeal Act 1995. It is responsible for independently reviewing suspected and alleged miscarriages of criminal justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is based in Birmingham and is funded by the Ministry of Justice.     

Source: Northamptonshire Police published on this website Friday 7 August 2026 by Jill Powell

A 38-year-old man who was issued with a Sexual Risk Order (SRO) while under investigation for online child sex offences has been jailed for more than four years.

Liam Pink, formerly Kettering, was issued with the civil order in October 2022 at Northampton Magistrates’ Court which are used to manage those who pose a sexual harm risk to the public.

Northamptonshire Police applied for the SRO after Pink’s arrest on suspicion of attempting to cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in a sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

This followed allegations from an online activist group that between August 12 and 28, Pink had engaged in an online conversation, exchanging explicit messages of a sexual nature, with a 12-year-old girl. However, she didn’t exist and was in fact a decoy.

The five-year SRO was issued with certain conditions he was required to abide by, including not having unsupervised contact or communication with any child under the age of 16, not using any social media account unless in the name of Liam Pink and not using any device capable of accessing the internet without notifying police.

During a routine visit on April 9 this year, officers from Northamptonshire Police’s MOSOVO team, which closely manage sexual and violent offenders, arrested Pink after an examination of his mobile phone found that he had breached the SRO three times.

Between January 1 and March 31, there was evidence to suggest that he had had contact with a child under the age of two without the parent’s knowledge of his order. He had also failed to notify police about a social media account that he had set up using a different name.

Pink was subsequently charged with the three breaches of the SRO as well as the online child sex offences that he was under investigation for and on June 3, he pleaded guilty to all five offences at Northampton Magistrates’ Court.

His case was sent to Northampton Crown Court for sentencing, and on July 13, he was jailed for four years and four months and issued with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

Risk Management Officer Libbie Stiff from the Force’s MOSOVO Team, said: “We take an absolute zero-tolerance approach to situations like this. Liam Pink’s repeat offending showed that he had a blatant disregard for the sanctions imposed by the court, and I am pleased that this sentence reflects the serious risk that he poses.

“I also hope this case reassures the public that we are working proactively to continue to keep children in Northamptonshire safe from online predators and to bring anyone who threatens that safety to justice.”

Source: Office for Products, Safety and Standards published on this website Tuesday 21 July 2026 by Jill Powell

Government has told businesses they must not rely on final product testing alone to assure the absence of asbestos in toys. 

Following a growing number of product recalls due to asbestos contamination, the Government is reminding businesses that they must be able to demonstrate that toys containing sand are safe before they are placed on the UK market.  

Businesses should have robust supply chain assurance in place to demonstrate that products are free from asbestos contamination. Product testing may form part of that assurance, but testing alone is not sufficient.  

They should therefore review their supply chains, take any necessary action to address risks, and maintain evidence demonstrating that products are safe and free from asbestos contamination. 

OPSS Chief Executive, Graham Russell said:  

“Parents should be able to trust that the toys they buy for their children are safe. We know the recent recalls have caused concern, and that’s why we’re reminding businesses of their responsibility to understand and manage the risks in their supply chains.

“The Government will hold businesses to account for ensuring they have the right checks and controls in place and can demonstrate that the products they sell are safe.”

Where asbestos is identified in products, businesses should take immediate action to protect consumers, including product withdrawal or recall. 

Consumers can find out more information about products that have been recalled and access advice here: Asbestos in consumer products - GOV.UK 

Businesses can read the advisory note on Assuring the absence of asbestos in sand-containing toys.