DJ and foster sister jailed for child sex abuse

A former children's DJ and his foster sister who groomed and sexually assaulted young girls have been handed more jail time after another 12 victims came forward.

Darren Gibson, 56, and Rebecca Kirton, 41, were found guilty of a series of sexual offences in 2024, and jailed for 24 years and 12 years respectively.

But Leeds Crown Court heard that had been "the tip of the iceberg" of the pair's offending, with more victims coming forward following coverage of the case.

After admitting another 34 offences Gibson was given an additional 16 years while Kirton was handed an extra seven years and six months for 14 offences.

Kirton received another six months for contempt of court after refusing to leave her cell for the hearing.

The court heard Gibson used to host "crisp and pop" parties and DJ at family functions in the Armley area of Leeds in the the late 1990s and and early 2000s

While working he would target young girls, some as young as 10, and try and kiss them behind the DJ booth before luring them back to his home.

Prosecutors described Kirton, who was in her late teens at the time, as a "facilitator" who would befriend the girls.

The court heard Gibson would then ply the girls with alcohol and drugs before assaulting and raping them, manipulating some of them into believing they were in a relationship with him.

Christopher Dunn, prosecuting, said this would sometimes happen with the "tacit encouragement" of Kirton, and sometimes she would participate in the abuse.

One victim said she was only about 10 when Gibson offered her a driving lesson in his car then assaulted her after she sat on his lap.

Another said that the abuse started when she was 11 and she believed she was in a relationship with Gibson, even though she was a child.

He abused her for four years before strangling her when he found out she had been spending time with other boys.

Most of Gibson's 12 victims were in court earlier to witness him being sentenced.

One of the victims said in an impact statement read out in court she had suffered from anxiety and depression and that she had only recently found the courage to tell her mother.

"She is living with the raw pain of what he did to me and it adds another layer to mine," she said.

"Certain songs and smells bring it all back and I worry for my own daughter, knowing how easily children can be manipulated."

Others described how the abuse led to so much anger and frustration they dropped out of school, developed addiction issues or were unable to have healthy relationships with men.

Another said to Gibson: "You preyed on vulnerable children and made adults believe you were a decent man.

"But you had a vile secret life, a monster.

"You changed the course of my life, to my detriment, and I cannot remember the last time I felt joy since reliving it all."

Another woman's statement said: "The day I saw [Gibson's] face on the news it was like I was living a nightmare. I didn't know he had done it to anyone else."

Gibson is now facing a 36-year sentence and will remain on the sex offenders' register for life.

Kirton, who the court heard was at time dominated and influenced herself by Gibson, is now facing a 19.5-year sentence,

Passing sentence, Judge Mushtaq Khokhar said Gibson was a paedophile who used his job to gain access to young girls, adding: "It is rare to come across such a prolific offender as you.

"You took away these girls' innocence and you did not care less - it was all for your own sexual gratification."

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