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Sentence increases for three men who raped missing 14-year-old girl

Source: Attorney General’s Office published on this website Friday 13 November 2026 by Jill Powell

Three men who raped a vulnerable 14-year-old girl over several days after she went missing from home, had their sentences increased after the Attorney General intervened.

Daryl German, 43, Jordan Doneley Wint, 31, and Deon Smith, 45, of Lewisham, London, had their sentences increased by three years, two years and six months, and two years respectively after the Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, referred their sentences to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

The court heard that German found the 14-year-old girl and took her to his flat in Lewisham.

Over the next 48 hours, he arranged for her to be taken to other addresses, where she was raped repeatedly by German, Wint and Smith.

After he realised she was a missing child through reading appeals on social media from the victim’s parents, he instructed the victim to call her parents to tell them she was okay, and to take down the missing appeals.

A police investigation found the victim and led to the arrest of all three men. When German was arrested, police found 14 indecent images of the victim on his phone.

The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP said:

“This was an appalling series of rapes and sexual assaults, carried out by three men over several days on a vulnerable child who should have been kept safe and returned to her family.

“My thoughts remain with the victim, who endured this horrific ordeal.

“Such abuse against a child is abhorrent, and I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to increase these sentences, ensuring all three men spend longer in prison.”

On 10 April 2026, at Woolwich Crown Court:

Daryl German was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment with an extended licence of three years for three counts of rape, one count of arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to their exploitation, and two counts of making indecent images of children.
Jordan Doneley Wint was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for one count of rape and one count of assault by penetration.
Deon Smith was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for one count of rape.

On 12 November 2026, at the Court of Appeal, their sentences were increased to 18 years’ imprisonment with an extended licence of three years, eight years and six months’ imprisonment, and nine years’ imprisonment respectively.

Prolific sex offender jailed after approaching girls and asking for pictures of their feet

Source: Suffolk Police published on this website Thursday 12 November 2026 by Jill Powell

A 26-year-old registered sex offender has been jailed after engaging in sexual communication with teenage girls and breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

Samuel Creed, formerly of Belle Vue Road in Sudbury, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday, 6 November, charged with six offences:

two counts of sexual communication with a child
two counts of causing/inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
breaching a SHPO
burglary, which relates to an incident of theft of a television and a tablet from a residence in Ipswich earlier this year

Creed was handed an extended licence totalling five years, made up of two years’ imprisonment and three years on licence.

Extended sentences are handed to those who are convicted of serious violent or sexual offences, where an additional period of post-release supervision is required to protect the public.

In December 2020, Creed was handed a three-year community order and a five-year criminal behaviour order (CBO) after he admitted to two offences of sexual assault.

In July 2025, he was jailed for 14 weeks’ after breaching the conditions of his CBO.

Following his conviction, Creed was managed by the Public Protection Unit (PPU) at Suffolk Constabulary and in February 2026 was handed a SHPO following repeated concerning behaviour.

The conditions of the SHPO prohibited Creed from engaging with charity organisations without the approval from PPU officers.

On Tuesday 21 July 2026 Suffolk police received report from another police force that a man by the name of Sam Creed had called a children’s hospice out of county, offering fundraising services which included those of a sexual nature.

Creed was arrested at his home address on Monday 27 July and appeared at Ipswich Crown Court the following day where he was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 24 months.

At his arrest, Creed’s mobile phone was seized on which, following examination, police found evidence of sexual communication with two teenage girls where Creed would ask them questions about footwear and ask for photos of their feet.

Police identified the victims, who disclosed that they had met with Creed in a public place, and that he had displayed concerning behaviour by encouraging them to use him as a footrest and smelling their shoes.

Creed was arrested in connection with this on Thursday 30 July and remanded into custody.

In addition to his sentence, Creed was ordered to pay £228 compensation to the burglary victim. He also remains subject of a SHPO.

An order was also enforced for the destruction of Creed’s mobile phone.

Suffolk Constabulary’s Public Protection Unit Supervisor Louise Kersey said: “Samuel Creed has not been deterred by being arrested or having conditions imposed upon him by the court.

“He has continued to commit further offences and has shown a flagrant disregard for the orders that have been imposed to protect the public.

“I would like to thank my colleagues in the Public Protection Unit and everyone who has worked on this investigation, especially West CID and in particular the officer in charge of the case, DC Oliver Canfer. Through joint working we have ensured a sexual predator is now behind bars and no longer poses a threat to the public.

“Suffolk Constabulary takes the management of sex offenders very seriously and we will take robust action against those who fail to comply with their court orders.”

Open consultation: Child employment regulatory framework

Source: Department for Education published on this website Tuesday 10 November 2026

This consultation is about the regulatory framework for the employment of children of compulsory school age in England.

The consultation is being held on this website

This consultation closes at
11:59pm on 13 December 2026

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 introduced changes to the child employment statutory framework in England.

The consultation seeks views on new regulations and statutory guidance, which will replace the current inconsistent and outdated system of local authority byelaws.

The changes will support stronger safeguarding and opportunities for children to engage in safe, appropriate work.

This consultation is aimed at:

local authorities
children and young people
employers
parents and carers of children and young people
anyone with an interest in improving outcomes for children and young people

Strengthened guidance to take the next leap to phone-free schools

Source: Department for Education published on this website Wednesday 11 November 2026 by Jill Powell

Children will benefit from distraction-free learning under strengthened mobile phone guidance to help schools take the next step towards a truly phone-free school day.

The strengthened guidance will make clear that schools should Children will benefit from distraction-free learning under strengthened mobile phone guidance to help schools take the next step towards a truly phone-free school day.

go beyond ‘not seen, not heard’ - where phones may remain in pupils’ bags - and adopt whole-school strategies that keep phones out of use and inaccessible throughout the school day.

Access to mobile phones risks pulling children away from their learning and from each other. Evidence shows phones can cause distraction and disruption in lessons, making it harder for pupils to focus and engage with learning.

Polling published in March this year found that 40% of children aged 9–16 were turning down real-world opportunities to spend time online. The latest PISA evidence also found a significant international decline in reading and maths performance, alongside growing concerns about digital distraction.

And the problem goes beyond the classroom. The Milburn review interim report warned that disengagement can begin as early as 12 or 13 years old, with pupils saying they stayed up as late as 3am scrolling on their phones.

Schools should be a place that provides a clear break from those pressures, protecting the school day as a time to learn, connect and engage with others.

While most schools set out that phones should be not seen and not heard, only 16% of secondary pupils say phone rules are followed all of the time, and with the rapid increase in technology take-up and emerging evidence, pupils, schools and parents need more clarity.

Some schools are already putting stronger whole-school approaches into practice through lockable pouches, collection at the start of the day, secure storage or prohibiting phones onsite altogether. The strengthened guidance will build on this leadership, giving every school clearer backing to keep phones inaccessible and helping parents and pupils understand what a truly phone-free school day means.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell said:

“Children should not be using smartphones at any point during the school day, full stop. That’s why we’re strengthening our guidance to take the next leap towards truly phone-free schools.

“Schools are already leading the way. We’re backing heads and teachers with a clear message for parents and pupils: school is for learning and friendship, not scrolling.

“Alongside our curriculum reforms, this is about making school unmissable – giving every child more chances to learn, connect and thrive.”

The new phone guidance comes as the government embarks on major reforms to ensure no child is left behind and make school unmissable. Based on all the latest evidence from PISA to Milburn, the reforms will strengthen reading, writing, speaking and listening, and numeracy, restore a full three-year Key Stage 3 and make more time for enrichment.

The Education Secretary’s commitment to give oracy equal status to reading and writing will strengthen every child’s ability to communicate and connect with confidence.

The new curriculum will also restore Key Stage 3 as a distinct three-year phase, giving pupils more time to master the fundamentals and experience a broad, engaging education. Schools will be expected not to start GCSE specifications early for large cohorts or routinely require pupils to narrow their options early.

The strengthened phone guidance and curriculum reforms are intended to work together to protect time and attention for learning, while giving children more opportunities to read, speak, listen, connect and develop the confidence and skills to thrive.

A new consultation on technology in the classroom launching today will build on this work, to ensure clear parameters are met to give teachers, parents and pupils confidence that any technology used to help children’s learning meets world-leading robust safety standards.

The consultation will explore independent safety certification for EdTech, giving parents and schools confidence that new technology is safe while allowing responsible innovation to thrive.

From distraction-free school days to safer technology and a stronger focus on the skills that make us human, this is about getting the balance right.

Together, the strengthened phone guidance, curriculum reforms and work on safer technology aim to help every child focus, connect and flourish at school, with technology enhancing skills and development rather than replacing them.

MOJ circular: Child abduction and pornography offences now in force

Source: Ministry of Justice (MOJ) published on this website Monday 9 November 2026 by Jill Powell

This circular gives details of a number of offences introduced by the Crime and Policing Act 2026.

The purpose of this circular is to notify recipients of the commencement of sections, 104, 105, 107 and 137 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 which are now in force. Namely offences related to:

detaining a child abroad without the appropriate consent
possession and publication of pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation, sex between certain family members, or sexual activity with someone who is or is pretending to be under 16