CPS News Brief

Dating site rapist convicted

A man accused of raping women who he met on a dating site has been convicted of five counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and another count of sexual assault.

Jason Lawrance targeted his victims on Match.com, encouraged them to talk to him offline and agreed to meet them.

He raped his first victim in 2011. Having met her a few times, he tricked her into getting into a van with him, drove to a dark country lane and raped her in the van. He went on to sexually assault a woman in her car and raped or attempted to rape others in hotel rooms or in their own homes. In each case, these women were prepared to meet him, but did not want sex with him at the time.

Lawrance’s pattern of behaviour was eventually halted when one of his victims reported to the police that he had raped her. The subsequent police investigation, in particular into his activity on Match.com, revealed evidence of offences against seven victims. He was tried and convicted at Derby Crown Court, despite maintaining his claim that everything had been consensual.

Sue Matthews, Senior Crown Prosecutor at the CPS East Midlands rape and serious sexual offences team said:

“Jason Lawrance is a dangerous sexual predator. He has gone from victim to victim, targeting them through online dating sites.

“Nobody should feel that meeting people through a dating site means that they are consenting to any sexual activity. If a person does not consent to sexual activity and the perpetrator does not reasonably believe they are consenting, that is an offence, regardless of how the victim meets the perpetrator, or how well they know each other.

“The victims in this case have shown real courage in telling the court about their ordeal. It is their evidence that has made Lawrance face the consequences of his actions. I would like to thank them all for coming forward and giving evidence.”

Jason Lawrance will be sentenced on 3 March 2016.

Organised crime group convicted for museum and auction house burglaries

14 people have been convicted for their involvement in stealing millions of pounds worth of artefacts from museums across the UK.

John Davies, Head of the Birmingham Unit of the Organised Crime Division of the Crown Prosecution Service, said:

“This large organised crime group were in pursuit of high profits and targeted museums up and down the country because of their valuable artefacts. These individuals plotted elaborate schemes to steal historical items from Britain’s museums and in some cases were successful in their attempts. The items the group were interested in were Chinese artefacts, primarily rhinoceros horn which, when powdered, is the most valuable commodity on earth.

“The group targeted museums and auction houses in locations including Durham, Norwich and Lewes. They were initially unsuccessful in their attempts but continued with their plots and eventually stole millions of pounds worth of artefacts. Among the stolen items were various Chinese jade artefacts from the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge with an estimated value of between £5 - £15 million.

“This was a highly complex case as most of the individuals convicted were behind the scenes organising the entire operation, rather than physically entering the museums. We built a strong case based on evidence such as extensive telephone records. Material from the defendants’ laptops also provided evidence of websites they had accessed and search terms they had inputted online in relation to their crimes.

“The CPS Organised Crime Division worked closely with investigators to bring these individuals to justice and today’s convictions send a clear message that organised crime will not be tolerated.”

Additional information:

• John O’Brien (Senior) - Guilty

• Richard Sheridan - Guilty

• Chi Cheong Donald Wong - Guilty

• Ashley Dad - Guilty

• Paul Pammen - Guilty

• Alan Clarke - Guilty

• Patrick Clarke - Guilty

• Robert Gilbert Smith - Guilty

• Daniel Flynn - Guilty

• Richard O’Brien (Junior) – Guilty

• John O’Brien (Junior) – Guilty

• Michael Hegarty – Guilty

• Daniel O’Brien – Guilty

• Terence Anthony McNamara – pleaded guilty

All defendants were charged with:-

Conspiracy to Steal contrary to Section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977 and s1(1) Theft Act 1968, namely

…… between the 1st day of September 2011 and 30th August 2012 conspired together and with other persons to steal rhinoceros horns, items manufactured from rhinoceros horn, antique Chinese porcelain and other artefacts in contravention of section 1(1) of the theft Act 1968.