Latest Offenders Cheshire

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A convicted sex offender who preyed on a woman after a night out in Liverpool has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

Jordan Scott-Michael, also known as Jordan Callaghan, began talking to the woman after she left a McDonald's restaurant in the city-centre.

The 48-year-old went to a hotel with the victim, who was in her 30s, and raped and sexually assaulted her.

Scott-Michael, of Halton Lodge Avenue in Runcorn, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting rape, sexual assault and two counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

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A NORTHWICH man collected hundreds of indecent images of children and shared one of the most serious with someone via WhatsApp.

Paul Birleson has avoided jail after pleading guilty to a string of seven offences relating to the possession and distribution of images of children and animals.

At Chester Crown Court on Monday (October 7) the 48-year-old was handed a 24-month sentence - reduced from 30 months on account of his early guilty plea - suspended for two years.

If you had a trial I could not have given the sentence I did today, that is how close you came to going to prison, said judge Simon Berkson.

Prosecutor Tom McLoughlin explained that police raided Birlesons home on July 28, 2022, following reports of suspicious behaviour on his Google account.

Police analysed his devices and found a total of 529 images, including 28 category A images and 115 category A videos, the most serious.

Birleson was also found to be in possession of 40 category B images and 89 category B videos, as well as 124 category C images and 106 videos.

Also found on the devices were 25 extreme pornographic images involving dogs and cats.

Mr McLoughlin continued to explain there was evidence Birleson had watched these images on a TV at his home.

He had also distributed one category A image by sending it to someone over WhatsApp.

David Morton, defending, said his client was utterly ashamed of what he had done.

He added Birleson has a complicated medical history, and is currently undergoing chemotherapy.

Birleson, formerly of Emmett Street in Barnton, also has no previous convictions and was described by the Probation Service as having a low risk of reoffending.

Ordinarily he is a bright, articulate and capable individual, said Mr Morton.

He has made it clear he is willing to put his back into effective work to rehabilitate.

Mr Morton continued, saying his client had shown he is capable of change, highlighting his battle with alcoholism, with Birleson now the best part of 20 months sober.

Taking this all into account, Judge Berkson sentenced Birleson based on what he saw as the most serious of the seven charges distribution of a category A indecent photograph of a child.

He said: Not only do you like to watch child abuse on screens in front of you but you are prepared to distribute them to others with similar interest.

Medical conditions are not in themselves a get out of jail free but here we have a combination of factors.

Birleson, now of Carlingford Road in Chester-le-Street, was also ordered to complete 35 rehabilitation activity requirement days and a 120-day alcohol monitoring requirement.

On top of this, Judge Berkson imposed a sexual harm prevention order for 15 years.

Description

A convicted sex offender subjected a child to a campaign of sickening abuse 'enabled' by his partner. Former couple Alan Townley and Patricia Jones have been locked up after the brave victim came forward.

Chester Crown Court heard Townley, 61, and Jones, 58, were in a relationship. She was aware he was a convicted sex offender, Cheshire Police said, but 'facilitated access' to the child, 'enabling the offences to take place'.

A trial heard Townley flirted with the child, touching them inappropriately. Townley went on to rape and sexually assault the child on multiple occasions.

When the victim tried to stop him, Townley hit them. The abuse came to light years later when the victim spoke out about their ordeal. Townley and Jones were then arrested and charged.

Townley, of Elton Road, Sandbach, Cheshire, was sentenced to 17 years, plus eight years on extended licence. He was found guilty of 12 counts - including rape of a child under 13; sexual assault of a child under 13; causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity; and actual bodily harm. Jones, 58, of Glastonbury Drive, Middlewich, was sentenced to three years for facilitating the offences, Cheshire Police said.

Detective Constable Stacey Thompson, who led the investigation, said: "Firstly, I would like to commend the bravery of the victim in this case, who not only came forward to report what had happened to them, but also endured the process of a trial after Townley refused to take accountability for his horrifying actions.

"What Townley subjected them to is truly horrifying, systematically abusing them in order to fulfil his own sexual gratification. What makes this case worse is the fact that Jones knowingly allowed Townley to have access to the victim, despite being well aware that he was a convicted sex offender. Putting her relationship above the safety and welfare of a child.

"The sentences handed to Townley and Jones reflect the severity of their crime and I hope that his conviction will encourage other victims to come forward.

"As this case demonstrates, we treat all reports of historic sexual offences seriously, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority, and any allegations will be thoroughly investigated."

Description

A 39-year-old man from Northwich has been jailed for 25 months after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual activity with a child.

Daniel Brinksman of no fixed address was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on 29 August after pleading guilty to the offences during his trial.

He was also given a restraining order not to contact the victim and an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Brinksman had met his 15-year-old victim on Grindr in 2015 after the boy joined the site in a vulnerable state as he was struggling with his sexuality.

They struck up a conversation and Brinksman pressured him into meeting that same day at a park in Northwich.

Brinksman sexually assaulted the victim leaving him traumatised.

Description

A PERVERT has been jailed for a total of 15 years after encouraging a nine-year-old girl to perform a sex act.

Jack Bradshaw, of Hartwell Grove, Winsford, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Thursday, August 8, for sentencing on eight sexual offence charges involving children.

The 29-year-old had previously denied all but one of the offences, but changed his plea to guilty at a court hearing on April 30 earlier this year.

At the latest hearing, Chester Crown Court heard Bradshaw had initiated a sexual chat with a nine-year-old girl in 2021 and 'intentionally incited' her to engage in sex acts.

Two years later in 2023, Bradshaw began communicating with another girl, aged 12, and again the chat was sexual, referencing genitalia.

He also tried to get the girl to look at an image of a person engaging in sexual activity, for his own gratification.

Following his arrest, Bradshaw was charged with five counts of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child and one charge of inciting a child under 13 to look at an image of sexual activity.

Judge Steven Everett handed Bradshaw an initial sentence of 11 years, four months before extending it by three years.

A further eight-month jail term, to be added consecutively, was imposed for the charge of inciting a child to look at a sexual activity image.

Judge Everett also made a forfeiture and destruction order in respect to seized items, such as several mobile phones and a sex toy.

Bradshaw was placed on the sex offender register indefinitely and made the subject of a lifetime sexual harm prevention order.

This bans him from living in the same household as any child under 16, or entering and remaining in any household where a child under 16 is present, unless he has the express approval of Social Services.

He is also prohibited from having unsupervised contact or communication with any child under 16 unless, it is inadvertent and not reasonably avoidable in daily life, or he has consent of the child's parent or guardian, who has knowledge of his convictions.

As part of the order Bradshaw is not allowed to use any device capable of accessing the internet unless he notifies police, among other conditions.

Description

A man who collated a sick online library of child abuse victims on his home PC over a period of eight years was finally exposed after he was caught leering over a picture of a 17-year-old girl on the social media platform X.

Craig Adams, 34, secretly kept hundreds of indecent images of children being abused on his computer for his own perverted pleasure, including images of a baby and images of bestiality. But he was eventually reported to police due to ''suspicious activity'' on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, when he received a picture of another internet user's girlfriend when she was 17.

In direct messages on X the other man said: “You must like jailbait” to which Adams replied that he wanted to ''see it all", followed by disgusting suggestions. The user then messaged back saying: “Sent.''

Officers raided Adams' home in Davenham Way, Middlewich, Cheshire in June last year, seized his PC and mobile phone and found to 683 still images of children, 137 of which were in highest category A, 102 in category B and 444 in category C.

He also had 45 “disgusting” images which “portrayed, in an explicit and realistic way" acts of bestiality. The sexually exploited and abused children, both male and female, were aged up to 12-years-old, and included babies. All had been gathered by Adams between March 2015 and 15th June 2023.

At Chester Crown Court, Adams whose girlfriend is standing by him, pleaded guilty to four offences related to making or possessing indecent images and one offence of possessing extreme pornographic images.

He was sentenced to 10 months in prison suspended for two years with requirements he complete 35 rehabilitation activity days and 200 hours of unpaid work. He faced up to three years jail under sentencing guidelines.

Prosecutor Thomas McLoughlin said: “On June 14, officers attended the defendant’s address having been passed intelligence that his Twitter account had been used to share indecent images of children.

“His address was searched and a number of items were seized, a Samsung Galaxy mobile phone and a Vimeo 8 mobile phone. There was a full download taken on both devices. Details show data being present from April 2015.

“By way of overview, there was the presence of both males and females up to 12 years of age and a baby. The extreme pornography included bestiality matters. The defendant was subsequently interviewed but gave no comment.''

In mitigation, defence counsel Mark Connor said: “The defendant has the support of his long-term partner and father and his mother. His partner is here today but the defendant did not want her to come into the court.

“In my submissions, Mr Adams has had a significant period of time since this arrest to reflect on his offending behaviour and consider what he has done and the pattern of offending that he has got himself into.

''He is very fearful of receiving a custodial sentence. He is an intelligent man who has thought long and hard about his criminal behaviour and how it developed and it has to be conceded developed over a significant period of time. He was refreshingly frank in an interview with the probation officer and did not seek to minimise or justify his conduct.

“He accepted that it was morally unacceptable and harmful and that ultimately it was to satisfy his own sexual gratification. It is not often in these types of cases that defendants are so forthright and frank about their own shameful behaviour.''

Adams was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and made to sign on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.

Judge Simon Berkson said: “You have a partner and a good job nevertheless, between 2015 and 2023, a substantial period of time, you downloaded on your computer 683 indecent images of children. Each one of these images displayed some sort of abuse committed to a child for you to happily look at whenever you wanted to over those years.

“You also had a substantial number of images of extreme pornography, of people engaging in sexual activity with animals. These are serious offences and there were a number of different victims, children suffering abuse for you to look at.

“One of those children has been described as a baby. You also had on that computer a way of cleaning up things on that computer. But the mitigating factors are that you have never been in trouble in your life. You are in a good job and you have a steady relationship. Both your partner and your father speak highly of you.''

Description

A paedophile has been found guilty of 43 historic sex offences against children as young as three. Clinton Royle was arrested after a complaint was made in 2019.

Officers then seized children’s clothing, hard drives, and digital storage devices were from his home. Cheshire Police’s digital forensic unit discovered encrypted and password protected files containing thousands of child abuse images.

The files also contained recordings of Royle’s offending. His victim was aged between child eight and 12 years at the time. Further investigations were conducted, and officers were able to identify other child victims aged between three and 12 years.

Chester Crown Court heard Royle confirmed he was present in the videos and images with the children, he denied the offence claiming that his actions and the images were not of a sexual nature. Despite his denials, he was charged with the offences in April 2023.

Royle, 62, of Elm Drive, Crewe, was convicted following a 11-day trial. He was found guilty of 28 counts of assaulting a girl under 13, two counts of taking an indecent photograph of a child, three counts of possessing indecent photographs of children, three counts of making indecent photographs of child, and seven counts of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He has been remanded in custody until he is sentenced on September 27. 

Description

A child rapist made his victim watch indecent videos at a young age before embarking on a years-long campaign of abuse. Andrew Bate has been locked up for 21 years and must serve an extra five years on licence.

Bate, of Libson Close, Warrington, was found guilty of 16 sexual offences against the child - including rape; sexual assault; engaging in sexual activity with a child; and sexual touching.

During a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, the victim told how the offences developed over a number of years, initially beginning when they were forced to watch indecent videos.

Following an initial incident, the abuse escalated. Bate raped and sexually assault the child on multiple occasions. The victim said they pretended to sleep to stop him. No matter what they did, he continued.

Bate's offending came to light in January 2023 when the victim reported him. He denied every allegation. Detective Constable Maurizio Lucchesi, who led the investigation, said: "Firstly, I want to praise the victim for the courage that they have shown throughout this investigation.

"Bate is clearly a sexual predator, whose only interest is to fulfil his own sexual gratification. He showed no regard for the victim and even when faced with all the evidence against him, he refused to plead guilty to any of the charges against. Instead, he forced his victim to relive their experiences in court, which could not have been easy for them.

"Thankfully, as a result of the bravery of the victim, and the evidence we gathered, the jury have seen through his lies, and he is now being held accountable for his actions. I hope that the sentence handed to Bate will provide the victim with some closure and allow them to move forward with their lives, knowing that he will never be able do the same to any other children.”

Bate was ordered to sign the sex offender register and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for life. DC Lucchesi added: "Nobody should have to experience what the victim has been though and if anything can come from this case, I hope that it encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us."

Description

A 60-year-old man from Cheshire has been jailed for 30 years after being found guilty of a string of sex offences.

Eric Mottershead, of no fixed address but from Congleton, was found guilty of 29 of the 35 offences following a three-week trial in March.

The offences included rape, indecent assault, assault of a child under 13 by penetration, assault by penetration and taking indecent photos of a child.

Mottershead appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday, July 5, to be sentenced to 30 years in prison and two years on an extended licence.

He was also given a restraining order and made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

The offences related to four children between 2001 and 2007 in the Congleton area.

On September 8, 2020, one of the victims came forward to Cheshire Police reporting that they had been abused when they were a child by Mottershead.

Mottershead was subsequently arrested on September 16, 2020, his house was searched and a number of devices were seized. 

These proved pivotal to the case. They were later examined by the Digital Investigation Unit and numerous indecent images of children were recovered.

Investigating officer DC Lee Ferris, now a Sergeant, went on to discover a further three victims over the course of the investigation.  Each victim was approached, and each provided video evidence to Cheshire Police.

Over the course of a 12-month period, Sergeant Ferris interviewed Mottershead on four separate occasion and each time he strongly denied the offences that were put to him.  He claimed each victim had made it all up and colluded with each other to bring him down.  Evidence including the indecent images on his phones and computer devices proved that this was not the case.

In January 2022, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised the charges against Mottershead and he was released with bail conditions not to contact the victims. 

Due to the complexity of this case, a trial at Chester Crown Court did not take place until March 2024. 

During that time, Sergeant Ferris transferred from Cheshire Constabulary to Greater Manchester Police, but the officer refused to pass on the case to someone else and he remained in touch with each victim.  He worked closely with detectives from Macclesifeld LPU to get the case to Chester Crown Court.

Sergeant Ferris said: “I’d like to thank the victims for their bravery in coming forward and speaking out about the abuse they suffered.

“Mottershead is now paying the price for preying on them when they were children and carrying out horrific and degrading acts on them.

“I’m hoping that getting justice will help them in some way and encourages others who have been subjected to such abuse to come forward, no matter how long ago the abuse was. You will be taken seriously. You will be supported. And we will do everything we possibly can to get justice for you.”

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A 47-year-old man from Winsford has been jailed after breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by possessing nappies.

Gary McVeigh, of Delamere Street, was sentenced to two years and four months in prison at Chester Crown Court today, Friday 5 July.

McVeigh was previously convicted of possessing and making indecent images of children in August 2016 and sentenced to two years imprisonment.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order with a number of conditions, one of which prohibited McVeigh from possessing any nappies.

On 21 May 2024, officers attended McVeigh’s address as part of the routine checks made to monitor registered sex offenders.

During the visit, McVeigh was arrested for breaching his SHPO after officers became aware of three unregistered devices that McVeigh had hidden.

Following an inspection of his bedroom, officers then found a large quantity of soiled nappies, as well as a quantity of unused nappies. He was again arrested on suspicion of breaching his SHPO.

McVeigh was charged with three sexual harm breaches. He later pleaded guilty to the offences.

Description

A "callous" sex offender lied online to snare a 15-year-old girl. Daniel Allcock, also known as Daniel Smith, has now been sentenced to six years in prison, plus four years on extended licence.

The 27-year-old appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to numerous offences, including causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, causing a child to watch a sexual act, and sexual activity with a child.

Allcock, from Crewe, was initially arrested in April following allegations that he had posed as a 19-year-old man online in order to groom and meet a 15-year-old girl between December 2023 and April 2024. The victim was just 14 when the pair began speaking on social media; she even confirmed her age to him, and he told her he was 19.

He arranged to meet her on multiple occasions, organising her travel for her and telling her where to meet him. He then engaged in sexual activity with her repeatedly. When concerns were raised by the victim’s school and social services, Cheshire Police was informed.

Checks revealed that Allcock was known to Cheshire Police for previous sexual offences and was far older than he was purporting to be. He was arrested on April 18 charged, and remanded, and safeguarding was put in place to support the young victim.

Allcock subsequently pleaded guilty. On top of his custodial sentence, he will remain on the sex offender’s register for life and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order. A restraining order has also been imposed.

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George Johnson and Vincenzo Montessori have been jailed after they were caught on video sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman at a house party in December 2020

Two vile teenagers who took advantage of a drunk woman at a house party were captured on video "taking it in turns" to sexually assault her.

George Johnson and Vincenzo Montessori, who were both aged 17 at the time of the gruesome crime, sexually assaulted the 20-year-old victim while at a house party on December 27, 2020. The victim could not remember the evening but was told by a friend afterwards that she had been sexually assaulted, and she subsequently reported it to police.

On video footage captured on the phone of one of the partygoers, two people can be seen sexually assaulting the woman. Johnson, of Dunkirk Lane, Whitby, Ellesmere Port in Cheshire and Montessori, of Polden Close, Little Sutton, Ellesmere Port in Cheshire were identified from the footage, Liverpool Echo reports.

Johnson and Montessori, both now aged 20, are seen to take it in turns to sexually assault the victim. The footage shows the victim in an intoxicated state and it was said in court that she was unable to consent or prevent what was happening to her. During the footage, Johnson attempted to rape her.

They were both arrested and later charged in relation to the incident. Johnson was found guilty of attempted rape and sexual assault following a week-long trial at Chester Crown Court and was sentenced to 10 years in a young offender institution.

Montessori was sentenced to five years in a young offender institution after pleading guilty to sexual assault prior to a trial. In addition to their sentences, both will be subject to a restraining order and must sign the sex offender register.

Description

A man who was previously convicted of a series of sexual abuse on a young girl more than 20 years ago has been jailed for 28 years.

Mark Anthony Foster, (who is also known as Tony), of Forster Avenue, Weaverham, was found guilty of 11 counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14, four counts of rape of a girl under 16, four counts of gross indecency with a girl under 14, plus one count of rape of a girl over 16, on Friday 12 April following a 13-day trial at Chester Crown Court.

The 62-year-old appeared back at the same court to be sentenced on Thursday 13 June.

The court had heard Foster committed a number of indecent assaults and rapes on a girl between 1995 and 2001, when the victim was aged between nine and sixteen.

The case came to the attention of Cheshire Police in August 2020 when the victim bravely came forward to disclose what had happened to her.

She reported the offences took place in the Northwich area by Foster. Over a period of seven years, Foster groomed the victim, subjecting her to multiple indecent assaults and rapes.

The offences became more violent as time progressed, including administering the victim with medication before raping her.

In interviews following his arrest, Foster continued to deny the allegations, but was subsequently charged in January 2023 and found guilty following a 13-day trial.

On top of his 28-year custodial sentence, Foster will be subject to an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim, an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, and will be subject to the sex offender register for life. 

Description

Today (Thursday 30 May), Nicholas Moxham has been found guilty of a series of depraved and abhorrent offences against women, including rape, prostitution, slavery and sexual assault, many of which took place in his home where he set up secret cameras to watch his victims and film his disturbing behaviour.

Nicholas Moxham (5/3/72), of Briarfield Road, Heaton Chapel, was found guilty of the following offences after 5-week trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court:

• Controlling prostitution for gain x6
• Requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour x3
• Rape x6
• Attempted rape
• Assault by penetration x3
• Voyeurism x13

Moxham first came to the attention of the police in June and July 2020 when witnesses reported seeing someone called ‘Nick’ in the company of sex workers and often loitering near homeless shelters.

Over time, he recruited six women as sex workers, arranging for clients to visit his home and an address in Longsight, Manchester.

Many of these encounters were covertly filmed by Moxham using specialist equipment including secret cameras hidden in pens.

On several occasions, videos showed Moxham raping or sexually assaulting women, sometimes whilst they were unconscious.

During a warrant at his home on 17 August 2021, officers found a woman, described as ‘pale and malnourished’, under a duvet on his living room floor. Immediate safeguarding measures were put in place to protect her, and the investigation advanced to identify other victims.

During this raid, officers recovered computer hard drives, storage devices and spyhole cameras, despite Moxham’s attempt to dispose of the evidence by throwing a hard drive out of his bedroom window as police entered his house.

Detective Sergeant Lee Attenborough, of Stockport CID, said: “This is one of the most horrific and upsetting cases my team has ever had to deal with.

“Moxham is a controlling and predatory sex offender who thought he was untouchable, denying his horrendous crimes right to the very end, forcing his victims to go through the ordeal of a trial.

"He showed absolutely no regard for any of his victims, some of whom won’t even know they were targeted due to the calculated and covert methods he used to take advantage.  

“His offending was well-planned and continued whilst he was under investigation, even boasting to one of his victims that he was too clever for police.

"His victims have been extremely brave, and I can only commend them for coming forward to give evidence against Moxham. I know this hasn’t been easy, but thanks to their courageous actions, Moxham is off our streets and will now face a considerable time behind bars.

“I know that reporting crimes like this can be incredibly difficult and traumatic, but we would urge anyone who has suffered violence or controlling behaviour of any type to come forward.

“If anyone has been affected by this case or believes they may have been targeted, we have specialist officers who can help.

“We are determined to bring offenders to justice and make Manchester a safer place for everyone."

Description

A prolific sex offender who repeatedly filmed himself carrying out indecent acts across Congleton and Macclesfield has been jailed.

Lewis Spencer appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 14 May where he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.

The 23-year-old, of Birch Road, Congleton, was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Spencer had previously pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual assault, seven counts of exposure and possession of extreme pornography.

The court heard how on Tuesday 26 December 2023; Spencer was due to start his first shift at a fast-food establishment in Macclesfield.

The victim, a 21-year-old woman, also worked at the store. She began taking a stock count at around 5.40pm that day when she noticed Spencer standing close behind her.

The victim had a feeling that Spencer was recording her, but she continued working, assuming it was nothing. She then felt Spencer touch her with something.

She turned around but Spencer apologised and put his phone away.

After their shift ended, the victim told her manager about the incident and how it had made her feel uncomfortable.

The manager checked a CCTV camera in the store which revealed Spencer had been carrying out a sexual act behind the victim, without her knowledge.

During the incident he touched her with his penis while he recorded himself on his mobile phone.

The incident was immediately reported to police and Spencer was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault at his home address on Thursday 28 December 2023.

Following examination of his mobile phone, which was seized upon arrest, officers discovered 17 videos of Spencer committing similar sexual offences against a number of women between Sunday 10 December 2023 and Tuesday 26 December 2023.

All of the videos depicted Spencer carrying out sexual acts near to or behind women of various ages, all of whom appear to be unaware of what he was doing.

Following enquiries, officers identified two women from the videos that had previously worked with Spencer.

Extreme pornography was also recovered from his phone.

He was subsequently charged with four counts of sexual assault, seven accounts of exposure, and one count of extreme pornography.