Reggie Cannon

Reggie Cannon, aged 24, of Hollyhill Gardens East, Stanley, County Durham, appeared at Durham Crown Court on 3 June after admitting a series of sexual offences against a teenage girl. The court heard that the offences were committed while Cannon himself was a teenager. He pleaded guilty at a previous hearing on 19 May to rape, two counts of sexual assault, and one count of meeting a girl following grooming. A further charge of attempted rape was not pursued by the prosecution, which accepted the four guilty pleas on the full facts submitted.

At the hearing on 3 June, prosecutor Paul Cleasby confirmed that the Crown accepted the admissions and that the case could proceed directly to sentence. Molly Rigby, defending, asked for a background report from the Probation Service and a mental health liaison and diversion assessment. She told the court that those close to Cannon believed he functioned at a much younger mental level, although she acknowledged that this was not a formal medical diagnosis.

Judge Aisha Wadoodi agreed to adjourn sentencing to allow the reports to be prepared and released Cannon on bail until Friday 17 July. She warned him: "These are serious offences to which you have pleaded guilty. In all likelihood it will be a prison sentence, but all options will remain open."

The case highlighted the predatory nature of the offences, which involved grooming of a girl who was underage at the time. The Northern Echo reported the court proceedings, noting that the defendant must now wait to learn his fate.