A violent sexual predator who stalked a schoolgirl before attempting to murder her has been sentenced to 43 years in prison.
Ellis Dismore, 24, stalked his victim online after using multiple fake media profiles to pose as a young teenage girl before threatening her with violence and rape.
The university graduate later ambushed the girl as she walked home from school on a Middlesbrough street and caught her attention by pretending he needed medical assistance.
Dismore was caught on CCTV and dashcam footage chasing the girl as she got off a school bus before stabbing her five times in the back and chest on June 22, 2023.
The girl miraculously survived the attack after a passing motorist bravely intervened and rushed her to a nearby school, where she was later taken to hospital.
In a statement read to the court, the girl said Dismore had “ruined” her life, adding that she was a “normal, happy” teenager before she was made to feel like a “prisoner.”
Police investigating the attempted murder later discovered that Dismore had contacted eight other victims online over a seven-year period, grooming and inciting them to send indecent images.
He was sentenced to 38 years in prison and a further five years on extended license after being found guilty of 26 offences, including attempted murder, taking indecent photographs of children and inciting a child to sexual activity.
Ellis Dismore, 24, was convicted of harassing a schoolgirl before attempting to murder her, for which he was sentenced to 38 years in prison.
Dismore was caught on CCTV and dash cameras chasing the girl as she got off a school bus. She can be seen in a blue and white robe charging at the girl with a knife (circled in green).
The girl, who was stabbed five times in the back and chest, can then be seen falling to the ground before a passing motorist intervened and pulled her away.
Teesside Crown Court heard that Dismore encouraged his victims to send him indecent images of themselves before threatening to share them and harm or rape the girls if they refused to comply with his wishes.
He would then attempt to meet up with his victims and engage in sexual activity, threatening them again if they refused.
Dismore had posed as a teenager called James Wilson when she met the teenager online and began demanding indecent photographs of her, the court heard.
In a statement read to the court, the girl said Dismore threatened her to the point that she did not want to leave the house.
Dismore was jealous and controlled the student, telling her she couldn’t see her friends and pressuring her to send indecent photographs of herself.
He added: “I did what he told me because I was afraid of what would happen to me, my friends and my family.”
“I was so afraid of Dismore, or ‘James’, that I told a friend what had been going on and she told me to block him,” she told the court.
‘I heard that he had sent indecent photos of me, that I had sent them to him. I was so ashamed that acquaintances and strangers saw photos of me.’
Dismore is seen chasing the girl on a street in Middlesbrough on June 22, 2023.
The girl can be seen running away from Dismore after recognizing his voice on the street.
Dismore continues to chase the girl before stabbing her five times in the back and chest.
Dismore can be seen brandishing a knife during the assassination attempt.
The girl suddenly falls to the ground before escaping the scene in the car of a passing motorist.
The victim said: ‘Ellis Dismore tried to kill me. I replay that attack over and over in my head. Now I’m afraid to go out.’
The girl eventually told her mother about Dismore and contacted police, prompting the 24-year-old to send her more horrific messages, explaining that he would happily spend “prison time” for stabbing her in the heart.
On the day of the attack, Dismore was seen buying a pack of steak knives from Wilko and then waited for the teenager in Middlesbrough.
When he approached the girl, pretending she needed medical help, she quickly recognized his voice and ran away.
However, Dismore chased her and stabbed her several times, before A passing motorist heard his screams and told the teen to get into his car.
The victim suffered horrific injuries: three puncture wounds to her left breast and a cut to her hand. The girl said she thought she was going to die before the motorist saved her life.
Teesside Crown Court heard Dismore’s attack “probably would have been fatal” if the passing motorist had not stopped.
Dismore was found guilty of attempted murder after standing trial in December 2023. He pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article, after CCTV showed him buying knives and using one of them to stab his victim.
On the day of the attack, Dismore was seen buying a pack of steak knives from Wilko.
Here Dismore can be seen walking through Wilko, where he brought a packet of steak knives, on the day of the attack.
Dismore can be seen purchasing the knives at the Wilko checkout counter on June 22, 2023.
Sentencing for the attempted murder was delayed after police found evidence that Dismore had blackmailed and demanded intimate photographs from other underage students.
Forensic examination of his computer and phone showed the game-obsessed master’s student had downloaded indecent images of children and had contacted eight other girls.
He sent them messages, often using fake profiles, and groomed them, until they sent him naked photos of themselves.
Dismore targeted pupils at the school who were teenagers and, as his crimes continued for several years, he used fake photographs to pretend he was a teenager himself.
He himself was under 16 when he came into contact with his first two child victims.
Dismore was tried for a second time last year on charges related to the eight additional victims. He later pleaded guilty to a second charge of making indecent images of children.
Another victim said she felt Dismore was “obsessed with me” and that it had been “too awkward” to tell her parents that he kept sending her sexualized images.
One girl said Dismore put her “under so much pressure” that she sent him naked photos of herself that he demanded.
Dismore can be seen leaving Wilko after purchasing the knives.
Later that day, Dismore is seen leaving a bus with Wilko’s bag in her hand.
She never heard from him again once he sent the photos. Another victim, who was 14 when she met Dismore online, spoke about threats he made to rape one of her friends.
Dismore, of Stoneyhurst Avenue, Acklam, in Middlesbrough, was given an extended 43-year sentence, comprising 38 years in prison and five years’ licence.
He was found guilty of attempted murder; have an item with blades; seven counts of inciting a child to sexual activity; five counts of distributing an indecent photograph of a child; two counts of stalking causing fear of violence or serious harm or distress; four counts of taking indecent photographs of a child; four counts of organizing/facilitating the commission of a child sexual offense; sending an indecent electronic communication with the intention of causing stress/anxiety; and having a child observe a sexual act.
He was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order; and a restraining order prohibits him from contacting his nine victims indefinitely.
He will sign the sex offender registry for the rest of his life. After the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Andrew Hamilton of Cleveland Police made a statement outside court describing Dismore as a “violent predator.”
The officer said: “Over a period of seven years, Dismore used fake social media accounts to groom and harass a number of girls and encouraged them to send indecent images.
‘He made vile threats to them and sent them sickening voice notes threatening to rape and stab them.
‘Dismore’s offending escalated when he attacked a 15-year-old girl in the street with a knife in a terrifying assault as she walked home from school, leaving her with serious injuries.
‘If she had not been saved by a brave passerby, she could have lost her life.
“This incident led to the discovery of other girls who had been targeted by Dismore and harassed and harassed via social media.”
Debbie Breen, head of CPS North East’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offenses (RASSO) Unit, said: ‘Ellis Dismore is a dangerous and violent sexual predator who manipulated his young victims into sexual activity through fear and intimidation. .
‘It is clear that these were not idle threats as Dismore carried out a terrifying knife attack on one of his victims.
‘Despite the horrific nature of his actions towards them, the evidence provided by the young and brave victims of this case has been instrumental in helping the Crown Prosecution Service build such a strong case against Dismore.
“We sincerely hope that the role each of them has played in imprisoning such a dangerous man provides them with some comfort.”