Community order for man who tried to groom teen

A PAEDOPHILE who tried to sexually groom a 14-year-old girl has described his brief time in prison as ‘the worst six months in my life’.

Craig Sutheran has been ‘effectively seen as a pariah’ whilst being held in custody, including time at HMP Birmingham, a court heard.

But Sutheran, 32 from Solihull was told he would be released imminently as he was handed a community order as opposed to an immediate jail time on Monday, February 8.

The punishment came despite Sutheran admitting he liked to ‘control’ young girls and initially denying he had done anything criminal.

Sutheran, of Redlands Road, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity and attempting to incite a child into sexual activity.

Birmingham Crown Court Judge Avik Mukherjee said the ‘most constructive’ way to deal with the risk the defendant posed to the public was outside of prison.

He sentenced Sutheran to a three-year community order including 40 days of rehabilitation activity, 80 hours of unpaid work and a sex offender treatment programme.

He was also made subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order and must keep the police notified as to where he lives during that period.

Judge Mukherjee added that he did not suppose Sutheran had ‘enjoyed’ his time spent in custody to which the defendant replied ‘It’s been the worst six months of my life, your honour.’

Adrian Fleming, prosecuting, in May last year Sutheran entered a chatroom aimed at 14 to 19-yearolds on the Kik app. He sent a message to a ‘decoy’ profile saying ‘nice pic’ and ‘almost immediately’ asked how old they were, to which the person replied 14.

Within days his ‘persistent messaging’ became sexual and he asked the decoy to send photographs. Sutheran continued his perverted requests over the course of the following two months.

He also sent a graphic video and asked the decoy to perform a sex act, before he was arrested at his home on July 30.

Justin Hugheston-Roberts, defending, stated Sutheran was suffering from poor mental health at the time of the offence. He had now lost his home, job and any chance of contact with his unborn daughter.

Referring to the current conditions in prison due to the Covid-19 pandemic Mr Hugheston-Roberts added: “Someone such as Craig Sutheran has been effectively seen as a pariah.”

TWO police officers on covert observations were forced to flee for their lives when they were shot at by a gang of armed men in a street in Birmingham, a court heard.

It is alleged that the gunmen, who fired a number of shots at the officer’s car, pursued the vehicle and “intended nothing less than murder”, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

The prosecution claim one of the gunmen was Shayne Campbell. Campbell, 25, of no fixed address, has denied two charges of attempted murder and one of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Mark Heywood QC, prosecuting, said on August 7 2017, police were carrying out covert observations on cars and a number of individuals.

Mr Heywood said DC Lee Kirkman and DC Stephen Roberts had been in an unmarked Volkswagen Scirocco and had driven slowly into Crosby Close, Ladywood at around 11.30pm to try and avoid attention.

There were a group of men there who were armed with firearms, jurors heard.

Mr Heywood said: “It was suddenly obvious to the officers the group had spotted them... They drew handguns. They quickly reversed and two men started to chase after them.”

Mr Heywood said a number of shots were fired at the officer’s car and they then saw three cars starting to leave.

He told the court: “Having seen that for a moment DC Roberts recalled feeling safe. The group had gone but then DC Kirkland saw a black male moving towards them. He was holding a firearm.

“He shouted a warning to DC Roberts and ducked as low as he could. It seemed this gunman would not give up.”

Mr Heywood said a further shot was fired at the police before the incident ended.

He told the court: “It was simply the good fortune, it did not result in the murders of one or both of them (officers).”

Mr Heywood said the men had run the whole length of the close in a bid to cut them off.

A police investigation, he said, revealed that Campbell had been a passenger in a BMW, one of the vehicles that had been at the scene and he said that some time prior to August 7 someone had fired at his home with a shotgun.

Mr Heywood told the court that the defendant was later arrested at his home address where officers recovered knives, a meat cleaver and body armour.

He went on: “The prosecution say from the way the shooting was carried out those who attacked the officers, DC Kirkman and DC Roberts, intended nothing else than to kill them. They may not have realised they were police officers.”