Latest Offenders Cheshire

Description

A man has been found guilty of sexual offences against children in the Winsford area more than 20 years ago.

Graham Lightfoot, of Hartwell Grove, Winsford, was found guilty of 11 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault on children on Tuesday 10 June at Liverpool Crown Court following a seven-day trial.

The 57-year-old will appear back at court on Friday 11 July for sentence.

The investigation commenced in June 2023 when Cheshire Police received reports of abuse that two victims had suffered as children between the year 2000 and 2004.

It was described how Lightfoot had indecently assaulted them when they were aged as young as 11. One of the victims was also sexually assaulted by him.

Following a thorough investigation, Lightfoot was later charged with the offences. He denied the charges but was found guilty following a trial.

Detective Constable Kelly Mitchell said:

“Firstly, I would like to thank the victims in this case for their courage throughout this investigation.

“Their brave disclosures detailed how Lightfoot had assaulted them on numerous occasions across many years, and they spoke about how these events had significantly impacted upon their lives.

“It is thanks to them that this predator has now been convicted of some horrendous crimes and will face the consequences of his actions.

“Lightfoot took advantage of two young girls and subjected them to prolonged abuse, demonstrating his absolute disregard for anyone other than himself and his own twisted sexual gratification.

“To report any sexual offence, no matter how long ago it took place, please call 101 or report online via our website. In an emergency, always call 999.”

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A DANGEROUS drug-driver is to spend longer behind bars after police found his stash of sickening child abuse images.

Craig Pryor, 46 and of of Robinson Road in Ellesmere Port, was jailed for four years in October after a motorcyclist was left with 'truly life-changing' injuries after being knocked off his bike. 

The victim was smashed into by Pryor in Winwick Lane, near to junction 22 of the M6 near Croft.

The day after the serious crash, when Cheshire Police were investigating the defendant, they rumbled his collection of images of children being sexually abused.

He was later charged with possessing indecent images of children, three counts of making them, and one of possessing prohibited images of children.

Having pleaded not guilty, matters went to trial, and he was convicted by a jury on all counts at Chester Crown Court.

He appeared back before the court recently to be sentenced, where Nicholas Williams, prosecuting, explained the nature of the offending.

Pryor was driving his grey Mercedes C350 erratically at around 9.20pm on Friday, May 26, 2023, when he caused the horrific collision in Winwick Lane.

He had gone to overtake the vehicle in front of him when he collided with a black Yamaha motorcycle travelling in the opposite direction.

The motorcyclist, a 42-year-old man from Woolston, suffered life-changing injuries, including the loss of an arm.

The extent of the victim’s injuries left the motorcyclist still receiving treatment more than 18 months after the collision, and it was said then that he could yet lose his leg.

Following roadside tests, Pryor was found to have delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and benzoylecgonine, the by-products of cocaine and cannabis use, in his system.

He was subsequently charged with two counts of drug driving and one of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, which he admitted at the last minute before his trial was due to start.

For the driving matters, Pryor was sentenced in October at Liverpool Crown Court to four years in prison and disqualified from driving for six years.

When investigating the defendant, police also came across 435 indecent images in his possession of children being sexually abused.

Of these, 255 were graded as category A – the most severe form of abuse involving child rape – while 100 were category B, and 80 were category C.

In addition, officers discovered 60 prohibited images of children, which are sexually explicit and generally in the form of sketches, paintings, and cartoons.

The particulars of the charges state that he possessed them in Ellesmere Port, where he lived, between February 2020 and May 2023.

For the abuse image charges, judge Steven Everett sentenced Pryor to an additional nine months in prison.

He must also sign the sex offender register and abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order, both for a period of 10 years.

In addition, the court approved an order to deprive him of his electronic device on which the images were stored.

Speaking after Pryor’s driving sentence, inspector Steve Griffiths, of Cheshire Police, said: “When you get behind the wheel of a vehicle, you are in control of a powerful machine, easily capable of causing serious injury or even death.

“Pryor completely ignored this, not abiding by the rules of the road or considering the safety of others, ultimately colliding with a vulnerable road user who had been travelling on the same stretch of road.

“The victim has suffered tremendously, both psychologically and physically, as a result of Pryor’s reckless choices.

“I welcome the sentence handed to Pryor, and I hope he truly considers how his actions have permanently changed the victim’s life.

“I also hope this case can serve as a reminder of the long-lasting impact of dangerous driving, deterring others from the same fate.”

Description

A REGISTERED sex offender is behind bars after being found lying naked next to a towpath on the Trent and Mersey Canal in Middlewich.

Christopher Higgins was in the nude next to the towpath near to Leadsmithy Street in the town on May 21.

Cheshire Police attended and arrested the 49-year-old, of Holmes Chapel Road, Middlewich, advising him to put on clothes while officers conducted their checks.

At Chester Magistrates Court the following day he pleaded guilty to one count of exposure and one count of outraging public decency.

He was sentenced to eight months in prison as, according to court documents, he is a 'repeat offender' causing 'anxiety against women'.

He is to be subject to the requirements of the sex offenders register for another decade.

Description

A man has been jailed after he pleaded guilty to child sexual offences.

Jake Knight, 37, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment at Stafford Crown Court on Wednesday 21 May.

He pleaded guilty to sexual assault, two counts of assault a girl under 13 by touching and cause/incite a girl under 13 to engagement in sexual activity at an earlier hearing at the same court last month.

The allegations against Knight were reported to us last year and our child protection team launched an investigation.

Knight was already on the Sex Offenders Register following previous offences.

Description

A CONVICTED sex offender has been locked up after being caught with depraved images of children being sexually abused.

Michael Mitchell was previously handed a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and ordered to sign the sex offender register, in a bid to limit his ability to reoffend.

However, Cheshire Police found the vile material on the 34-year-old’s devices in Runcorn, and he was hauled before the courts.

The defendant was subsequently charged with three counts of making an indecent photograph of a child and one of possessing prohibited images of children

He was also charged with two counts of failing to comply with the terms of his sex offender register notification requirements, and one of breaching a SHPO.

Mitchell admitted each offence at a previous hearing, with sentencing at Chester Crown Court adjourned until recently to allow for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

Laura Knightly, prosecuting, explained that the authorities found 437 indecent images of children being sexually abused on Mitchell’s devices.

Of these, 49 were graded as category A – the most severe form involving child rape – while 48 were category B and 340 were category C.

A forensic examination also uncovered 671 prohibited images of children. These are not photographs and are often of an animated or cartoon nature.

Further offences uncovered included Mitchell failing to notify the police of a number of usernames and emails that he was using – in breach of the terms of his sex offender register requirements.

In addition, the defendant installed software on his computer that masked his internet search history, such as secure browsers and clean-up programmes, and had cloud-based storage – all in breach of the terms of his SHPO.

In sentencing, judge Simon Berkson concluded that appropriate punishment could only be achieved by way of immediate custody.

Mitchell, of Speakman Street in Runcorn, was sentenced to three years in prison.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offender register indefinitely, while an order to deprive him of his electronic devices seized by police was approved.

Description

A MAN has been jailed for 14 years for multiple sexual offences against women and children.

Simon Arden appeared at Chester Crown Court on Thursday, April 17, where he was handed the sentence.

The 41-year-old, of Macclesfield, had previously been found guilty of multiple offences.

These included rape, sexual assault, exposure, sexual assault of a child under 13, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

In April 2024, police received reports of rape and sexual assault committed by Arden between 2011 and 2021 against multiple victims.

A woman told police she had been sexually assaulted by Arden multiple times when she was a child.

He also exposed himself in front of her and engaged in sexual activity in her presence.

Further victims also spoke to police. Another woman told officers Arden had raped her in 2013. He had also sexually assaulted her and exposed himself to her.

A further victim disclosed Arden had exposed himself to her in 2016.

Meanwhile, a teenager told police she had also been sexually assaulted by Arden as a child.

Arden was subsequently arrested and later charged in relation to the offences.

He was found guilty on Friday, February 21, following a two-week trial at Chester Crown Court.

On top of the custodial sentence, Arden has also been issued with indefinite restraining orders against the victims and is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A PERVERT who filmed videos of naked women in the changing room cubicles at a leisure centre has been jailed.

Richard Halck, formerly of Winsford, was caught on August 22, 2023, filming one of his victims on his mobile phone.

The woman, at Winsford Lifestyle Centre, calmly got dressed before alerting staff to the 38-year-old's offence. 

She also asked a member of the public to prevent Halck, now of Landor Way, Stafford, from leaving before police arrived.

Halck was arrested before his phone was seized and analysed, revealing several other videos of women filmed without their knowledge.

The videos were all filmed between July 7, 2022, and August 22, 2023, at various locations across Winsford.

Police officers were able to identify three of the victims, however a number of others have never been identified.

Halck was charged with eight counts of voyeurism, which he pleaded guilty to at Chester Magistrates Court on March 25.

After the lower court decided it did not have the necessary sentencing powers, the case was sent to Chester Crown Court.

Halck appeared at the crown court on Thursday, April 24, where His Honour Judge Simon Berkson jailed him for 55 weeks.

Judge Berkson also ordered Halck to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years, as well as handing him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and restraining order to prevent him contacting his victims.

Detective Constable Sarah Ollier, who led the investigation for Cheshire Police, said: "Firstly, I would like to praise the courage of the victims in this case.

"To discover that someone has filmed you without your consent must have been terrifying, but thanks to their bravery he has now been held accountable.

"Halck’s actions have had a lasting impact on his victims, who were simply going about their daily business.

"He violated his victims’ personal space and privacy, filming them without their consent in places that they should be able to feel safe.

"This result reinforces our commitment to tackling violence against women and girls, we will prevent, deter and take action against anyone who preys on women and girls."

Description

A WINSFORD man was cornered by paedophile hunters after trying to lure who he thought was an 11-year-old girl into having sex with him.

Brandon Parton, of Tighe Avenue, had several sexual conversations online with ‘Louise’, who was actually a decoy, between March 30 and April 7, 2023.

He asked her if she wanted to see his penis, if he could kiss her, and touch her breasts and bum.

He also asked her to send naked pictures of herself and actually tried to get her to meet up with him in person for sex.

On Friday, April 7, 2023, police were called to an address is Sandbach where vigilantes were gathering, accusing Parton, who was inside, of being a paedophile. 

The group passed an evidence file to police, which included messages between Parton and so-called Louise.

He was arrested there and then and later charged with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to facilitate the sexual assault of a child, and attempting to incite a female child aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Parton appeared at Crewe Magistrates’ Court on July 12, last year, where he denied the charges.

But on Thursday, January 30, he changed his pleas to guilty, and was ordered to appear before Chester Crown Court for sentencing on Tuesday, April 1.  

His Honour Judge Simon Berkson sentenced Parton to 40 months in prison.

The judge also made a sexual harm protection order (SHPO), which lasts for 15 years, banning him from being alone with any female children under 16, except in specified circumstances. 

He must also sign the sex offender register for the duration of the order, and was banned from using a computer capable of going online unless it was registered with police. 

Description

A teenager from Crewe "took advantage" of a 14-year-old girl who was heavily intoxicated at a party to engage in sexual activity with her. Owen Zissler, then 19, had been invited to the gathering as he was old enough to purchase alcohol for the underage attendees.

However, when the girl went upstairs, Zissler followed her and committed the offence. At Mold Crown Court, the now 21-year-old defendant admitted to having sexual activity with a child and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

Prosecutor Mark Connor revealed that the incident occurred in North West Wales in 2022. The victim, who cannot be named, had gone to a shop in Gwynedd with her friend and Zissler to buy booze, including vodka and a crate of beer.

After returning to the party, she went upstairs to her bedroom to fetch something.

Zissler followed her and began kissing and touching her. The girl said she was okay with that, but she did not want to have sex, yet Zissler forced himself on her, reports North Wales Live.

Mr Connor added: "The defendant purchased alcohol for all of the children and took advantage of the fact that (the girl) was very drunk."

When the girl's father came home and discovered what had happened, he rang the police.

Upon arrival, two officers found the girl looking "visibly upset". She said she couldn't recall what had happened because she was too drunk.

Samples were taken, and Zissler's semen was found on her underwear.

Previous phone text messages revealed that Zissler was aware of the girl's age, 14. When questioned by police, he gave no comment answers during multiple interviews.In a victim statement the girl said she had felt uncomfortable when the two paramedics who arrived were male.

She finds it difficult to trust people, is afraid of bumping into Zissler and felt she would be better off dead.

She went into a downward spiral, mixed with the wrong crowd and took drugs. But she is no longer friends with that group.

Simon Rogers, defending, said Zissler, of Haslington near Crewe, had been immature. He struggled with dyslexia at school and was moved to a school for pupils with additional learning needs, losing contact with his friends.

But he is remorseful and is in a relationship and has a five-month-old child. The judge His Honour Niclas Parry said: "You saw her going upstairs.

"You saw an opportunity and you followed her and began sexual activity immediately."

The effects made her contemplate taking her own life, he added.

But he accepts he is remorseful and it was out of character. Jailing him, he made him subject to sex offender notification requirements and a restraining order both for ten years.

Description

A man has been jailed for sexually abusing children in Congleton.

Philip Rigby, previously known as Philip Benson, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Monday 24 March where he was sentenced to 13 years and 3 months in prison and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

The 55-year-old of River Street, Congleton, had earlier pleaded guilty to indecent assault on a girl under 14, and five counts of buggery.

The court heard how Rigby sexually abused three children between November 1982 and November 1988.

Description

A predator booked a hotel to meet with who he thought was a 12-year-old girl for sex. Police officers were alerted to Ciaran Clark, from Ross Street in Widnes, after he was caught in the act by an undercover officer pretending to be a 12-year-old child in an online chatroom.

The 46-year-old had even booked a hotel room in anticipation of meeting the child. Detectives immediately arrested the 46-year-old on December 31 last year and he was charged and remanded on New Year's Day.

Clark appeared at Chester Crown Court on March 17 to be sentenced after pleading guilty to arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence - rape / assault by penetration of child under 13, and being an adult attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He was jailed for 10 years.

As well as the jail term he was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. DC Faye Taylor from Cheshire Constabulary’s OCAIT team said: “Clark was unaware he was sending his warped messaging to an undercover officer. He’d even booked a hotel room in anticipation of meeting the child.

“This is what makes us so determined to catch these people and stay on duty to make sure they are remanded into custody. Even though he was talking to an adult, he was unaware, and the intent was there - his messages were despicable.

“As a team we are driven to stop people like Clark in their tracks and we will do all we possibly can to protect children at risk from these predatory paedophiles.”

Description

A prolific offender found in possession of 90,000 images of child sexual abuse has been jailed for a decade. Daniel Tunney pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children and breaching his Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

An investigation was launched by Cheshire Police in September last year after they received intelligence that Tunney had been engaging with indecent images of children online. As a result, officers from the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team conducted a search at his home.

As part of his sex offender registration conditions, Tunney is required to notify police of any digital devices he owns or has access to. During the search of his address, Tunney was arrested, and officers seized three unregistered digital devices - a mobile phone, a hard drive, and a memory card.

Following a digital forensic analysis of his devices, officers discovered Tunney was in possession of thousands of images and videos displaying child abuse, these included at least 603 category A images, 240 category A videos, 735 category B images, 40 category B videos, 46,045 category C images, and 13 category C videos.

He was also found in possession of 104 images and 36 videos of extreme pornography. A further 72,659 images and videos remain uncategorised.

Tunney, 42, of Manor Way, Crewe, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 3 January where he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

When interviewed, Tunney answered “no comment” to all questions, but was charged with the offences regardless due to the amount of evidence gathered against him. Tunney was left with no choice but to plead guilty.

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Nathanael Johnston, said: “Tunney is a prolific sex offender who posed a significant risk to children. During our investigation, we found that he was in possession of more than 90,000 indecent images of child sexual abuse. Through the work of our officers, we were able to quickly bring him to justice and he is now facing the consequences of his actions behind bars.”

Detective Constable Meg Griffithes, of the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “It is important to note that these crimes are not victimless, and as this case demonstrates, we are committed to pursuing and bringing to justice those who engage in online child sexual exploitation and play a part in the sexual abuse of children in Cheshire and beyond."

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Pervert in paedo pride boast says five callous words as 'horrific' diary read to court

A court heard that Gerrard Charnley was found in possession of so much child abuse material that police struggled to identify it all after it was recovered from his home in Widnes

A pervert who boasted about being a "proud paedophile" uttered five words of callous acknowledgement after sick passages from his diary were read out in court.

Police struggled to quantify the extreme amount of child abuse content collected by Gerrard Charnley, 52, who trawled the dark web in search for pictures and videos. Charnley, of Coronation Drive in Widnes, developed a "compulsive obsession" with the material and downloaded hundreds of thousands of indecent images and videos.

He documented his desires in sickening detail in a personal journal titled "my paedophile diary", in which he named girls he wanted to "rape some day". And when sentenced by a judge presiding over his trial for his possession of the abuse material, the offender issued a five-word statement of admission.

The Liverpool ECHO reports that Liverpool Crown Court heard Charnley collected 15,081 pictures and 2,308 videos graded as category A, meaning they showed the most serious forms of abuse, including babies being raped. Charnley was also found to have downloaded a further 17,383 category B images and 169,968 category C images.

He also had in his possession nine computer generated prohibited images of children, and an additional nine extreme pornographic images. Police were unable to categorise an additional 230,000 images due to the sheer volume of material on his devices. Prosecutor Sarah Holt said he documented the images in his journal "My Paedophile Diary".

She told the court the document "contained references to specific dates and what the defendant wanted to do to particular children", with one entry from June 2016 naming one girl he wanted to "rape some day very soon". He added in the entry: "I'm proud to say this as a paedophile."

Among other entries in the diary were a list of his favourite websites for viewing child abuse content, and a list entitled "preteen s**gs I'd love to rape". Charnley admitted possession of indecent images of children, three counts of making indecent images, possession of prohibited images of children, possession of extreme pornographic images and possession of a paedophile manual.

He was jailed for 14 months on Thursday, January 2, handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, and told to sign the sex offenders' register for the next decade. Nodding as he left the dock, having been told he would go to prison, he said: "I'm guilty. I'm sorry, ok." Sentencing Charnley, honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC said the content he accessed was "truly shocking".

He told the court: "There were so many images, something approaching half a million, recovered from your devices. I am told that there are 232,000 images which remain uncategorised, such was the sheer scale of the task. It is safe to say that your collection of images was enormous by any standard.

You appear to have been keeping a diary of the sorts of things you would like to do to children. They are horrific. They may well be you playing out your fantasies in writing, but they demonstrate the depraved, perverted nature of your desires and your reason for accessing all of this material.

"This written material demonstrates clearly that yours was not an idle obsession, but one where you were fixated on the abuse of children. It is trite to observe that while you yourself did not generate these images, your accessing of them and collecting of them develops a market for this sort of material.

"It is trite to observe that while you yourself did not generate these images, your accessing of them and collecting of them develops a market for this sort of material." The judge concluded: "I am satisfied that only an immediate term of imprisonment is appropriate to deal with offending of the scale and type described in this case where you have quite deliberately, over many years, sought out and collected a huge quantity of appalling material.

"Alongside that you have generated your own material, demonstrating that you have a clear desire to participate in the abuse of these children."

Description

A PAEDOPHILE who was caught with more than 100 indecent images of children on his devices has walked free from court.

Cheshire Police issued a search warrant for an address in Widnes, home of Paul Dixon, following intelligence relating to an ‘online user engaging in conversation about sexual abuse of a child’.

Prosecuting, Alex Farrow said that Dixon’s home, on Guernsey Road, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8, was searched by officers and several devices were recovered for further investigation.

“Devices were found to contain indecent images of children, including 62 category A pictures, 50 category B pictures and 90 category C pictures.”

Along with that, a further 56 extreme pornographic images were found, totalling to 102 indecent images.

Mr Farrow described the 59-year-old as a man of ‘previous good character’.

Defending, Peter Green said Dixon had faced “significant punishment” already from the fact his offending led to him losing his job.

“That has had a significant impact on him and his wife as well,” he said, adding that his wife is “standing by him” and came to show her support in court.

Concluding, chair of the bench Ian Johnston addressed the defendant, saying: “You have committed multiple offences. You are not going to jail today but not by much.”

He handed Dixon a 12-month prison sentence suspended for 24 months and ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work as well as take part in 30 rehabilitation requirement days.

The defendant will also sign on to notification requirements for seven years and will be subjected to a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

Description

A man has been jailed for 16 years after subjecting a teenage girl to years of sexual abuse. Martin Falconer, of Spennymoor Court, Runcorn, was jailed on Tuesday, November 26 after being found guilty of five counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, attempted rape, sexual assault, and possession of indecent images of children.

Leah Green previously spoke to the ECHO and waived her right to anonymity to share her story after enduring the horrendous abuse at the hands of Falconer, who was her stepdad. During her early adolescence she endured inappropriate sexual behaviour from Falconer, 66.

The now 21-year-old claims Falconer put a camera in her bedroom to film her, and he later tried to rape her. Falconer came to the attention of Cheshire Police in 2019 when Ms Green reported he had sexually abused her.

This barrage of abuse occurred between 2016 and 2019, during which Falconer sexually assaulted and attempted to rape Ms Green. He also had indecent images of her in his possession on his laptop.

Speaking to the ECHO, Ms Green said: "I want my story out there. After being called a liar by my family for so many years, I want to be heard." She is encouraging others to come forward to stop abusers like Falconer damaging other children.

She said: "There are so many little girls out there losing their innocence to these vile men. There's something we can do to stop it. You should speak out if you can. You'll be protecting so many young girls. You'll be saving little girls' lives and saving their innocence."

Falconer moved into the family home when Ms Green was a toddler. For years, she called him dad, and he played the role of a doting stepdad. According to Ms Green, Falconer showered her with attention, buying her gifts, running her baths and making her hot water bottles.

"He was loving," she said, "and I liked the fact I was loved by someone. But I was loved in the wrong way. When I look back now, I think, 'that's wasn't love, that was grooming'." Following an investigation, Falconer was charged with the offences and later found guilty following a trial in June 2024.

On top of his custodial sentence, Falconer will be subject to notification requirements, a restraining order and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Detective Sergeant Lee Ellis said: “Firstly, I would like to commend the bravery of the victim in this case, and I hope the conclusion of this lengthy investigation and subsequent court process will help to bring her some closure.