Latest Offenders Merseyside

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A MAN who committed "heinous" sexual abuse on a girl and then put his victim through the ordeal of a trial has been jailed.

Connor Paul Gavin, 21, of Blackbrook, St Helens was found guilty by a trial by jury at Liverpool Crown Court last month.

Today (Friday, November 17) he was sentenced to 14 years and nine months in prison for nine counts of rape and sexual assault of a child under 13.

The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Constable Lesley Prendergast said: “Throughout the whole process, the investigation and the trial, Gavin continued to deny all the allegations made against him. Thankfully the jury saw through his lies and found him guilty. 

“His denial and not accepting what he has done has been incredibly difficult for the victim. She has showed immense courage and bravery to report the utterly depraved actions he committed.

“As you can imagine for victims of such an appalling crime, the impact on them is significant and long-lasting. I hope this sentence provides some comfort in knowing they did the right thing to report Gavin’s heinous crime to us.”

Detective Inspector Yoseph Al-Ramadhan added: “Merseyside Police is completely committed to protecting children from sexual abuse and those who seek to do them harm, and we take all such reports extremely seriously.

“If you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know of a child being abused, please come forward and report this to police. 

“We have a dedicated team of specially trained officers who will treat you with sensitivity and compassion and will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.”

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A paedophile has been jailed again after police visited his home.

Ian Hobley, 55, of Town Lane, Bebington, was found to be in breech of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) when police visited his home on Friday, October 6. When officers entered his home they found an electronic device he had failed to register.

After reviewing the phone they found suspected indecent images of children and he was arrested. When Hobley’s devices were further examined, there were 450 images classed as Category A, along with 1,179 other images in Categories B and C.

There were also two Category A videos found. He was brought before Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, November 7, having pleaded guilty to 11 offences involving making indecent images, possessing prohibited images and three offences of breaching the SPHO.

He was jailed for two years and was issued with a SHPO for ten years.

Detective Inspector Steven O’Neill said: “Hobley was arrested after officers on a routine home visit as part of his SHPO found an electronic device that he hadn’t registered with us. This led to the sickening discovery of explicit sexual images of children.
“Hobley pleaded guilty to the offences because the evidence was so strong against him.

“Officers working in the Sex Offender Unit regularly conduct visits each month to ensure that offenders on the Sexual Offenders Register living in the community are closely monitored. Officers also work closely with partners in probation and housing to ensure that the public are protected and risk of further offending is minimised.”

This isn't the first time Hobley has been in court, with previous convictions in 2003 and 2008 for indecent image offences.

A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: "Sex offending has such a huge and terrible impact on victims, and we are determined to continue looking to innovative new ways of identifying repeat offenders at the earliest possible opportunity, to prevent young people coming to further harm from abuse and exploitation."

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A Wirral man has been jailed today, Friday 27 October, for breaching an order by possessing sexual images of children.

Andrew Davies, 52 years, of Mill Lane in Wallasey was sentenced to three years and 11 months in prison at Liverpool Crown Court this afternoon.

The court heard that in November last year, officers conducted a routine visit to Davies’ home under the Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposed on him. When officers were checking his electronic devices, he admitted using social media which is a breach of his terms.

His electronic devices were seized, and detectives found 133 prohibited and distressing images of children of a sexual nature found on them.

Davies was found guilty of all 133 prohibited images found on the device and nine breaches of Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The Sex Offender Unit ensure that sex offenders living in the community are closely monitored.

Detective Inspector Steven O’Neill, from the Sex Offender Unit, said: “Davies went so far as to try and evade guilt by accusing his family members saying that they were responsible for downloading the images on to his device.

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A HORRIFIC sex-offender has been jailed for repeatedly breaching orders preventing him from being around children.

Adam Blyth, 24, was sentenced in August 2014 for five different charges involving the rape of a child under the age of 14.

As part of this Blyth was served a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for 10 years, a court order which restricts the actions of someone the courts feel is at risk of causing sexual harm even upon their release from prison.

This order included restrictions around unsupervised time spent with children.

The sex-offender appeared at Liverpool Crown Court last week following two breaches of this order, in which Blyth was pictured around young children.

Prosecuting, Andrew Jebb told the court how in "the middle of 2022" Blyth had been pictured with his three-year-old son on a train, in an unsupervised visit.

Further, Blyth was pictured at a family party in Warrington on August 20 this year with his partner’s son. He was seen on CCTV alone with the child, who is also three, on various occasions, as well as arriving in the same car.

This second breach also took place while on bail after having been arrested and warned by police for the picture taken with his son.   

These were not the first breaches of the order, as Mr Jebb told the court that this pair of offences were the third occasion on which Blyth had breached his SHPO.

Blyth, of Grasmere Fold, St Helens, breached the order in 2017 and 2018.

Defending Blyth, Sarah Griffin told the court that "substance abuse made him think he could just act normally" despite the order.

She said: “He has been trying to address his substance abuse, to address his use of drugs, alcohol, and his mental health.”

Ms Griffin also reiterated that, whilst the visits were unsupervised, in both cases he was not alone with the children. This was proven by the fact that someone else took the picture of him and his son, and that the party was a large family gathering with lots of other adults nearby.

Judge Trevor Jones, presiding over the case, said:

“You are 24 now and were sentenced 10 years ago for a number of serious sexual offences when you were 14.

“The defendant accepts he was fully aware of the order when he breached it.”

Judge Jones also told the court that, in a pre-sentence report on Blyth, he was judged as being a "high risk of reoffending".

For the two counts, Blyth received terms of 22 months imprisonment

Description

"I know what this is about." These were the words of a 'monster' paedophile when police raided his house earlier this year.

David Eyre, 55, who claimed his offending was due to a pornography addiction, was targeted by Merseyside Police officers from the specialist Online Child Abuse Investigation Team on June 20 this year following a lengthy investigation into his online activity, the Liverpool ECHO reports. Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday (October 23) how Eyre told officers "I know what this is about" when they visited his Southport home and pointed at his computer, adding, "the devices are down there".

Prosecuting barrister Robert Dudley said police found "a computer tower" and three hard drives. The defendant added there was also another computer at his mum's address. An iPhone was also seized and examinations found its search history included "1970s school girl pornography" and "extreme beastiality".

During his first interview he answered no comment. However, after examining his electronic devices police officers found a disturbing haul of indecent images that included a number of photographs and videos of the same child. On August 16, Eyre's home was raided again and a second iPhone was found along with a suicide note.

Mr Dudley told the court how when questioned again the defendant admitted to having an addiction to pornography. He said he was "desensitised" to extreme pornography and added "when you're bored it pulls you back in". The court heard he had sought help for his addiction in the past but could not afford the sessions.

He said his addiction dated back 35 years but this was the first time he had acted on it and "was a threat". The court heard Eyre's devices contained hundreds of images and videos.

During the interview, Eyre, who had last wiped his computer three to four months before his arrest, said: "I'm glad of the intervention." The offending started when the victim was just 15 months old and continued until she was four.

Three moving victim impact statements were read to the court by Mr Dudley. The victim's dad said: "When I found out she had been sexually assaulted my heart sank." He said: "How can a monster hurt a beautiful, innocent girl". The court heard how the victim's family "don't know what damage this will cause in the future".

The victim's mum added she was "numb" when she was told what happened and "everything felt mumbled". She said she felt guilt because her daughter would have "wondered why we weren't there in her time of need".

She added her daughter's "innocence was taken away" and she would now have a "lifetime of picking up the pieces". Lastly, the victim's nan added the family is "going through a grieving process" and their "world crumbled" after Eyre's criminality was revealed.

Officers investigating Eyre not only charged him with assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration and touching, but also three counts of taking indecent images and three counts of possessing indecent images, among a number of other charges.

He possessed hundreds of images, including nearly 650 category A - images of the most serious nature - that he had made himself. He also possessed images of prepubescent girls as young as seven.

Louise McCloskey, defending, said: "What can one say about these types of offences" and added it was all said in the victim impact statements heard in court. She said the offences would have been like a "hand grenade going off" for the victim's family.

In mitigation, she added that the defendant had written an extensive letter to the court which "showed proper acknowledgement of the harm he has caused". Ms McCloskey added the defendant had his own difficulties as a child and these issues had manifested into a porn addiction.

She said the defendant should be entitled to full credit - due to his earlier guilty plea to 16 different offences at magistrates' court - and asked that any sentence issued be "significant, but determinate".

His Honour Judge Robert Trevor-Jones told the defendant he was treating the two counts of penetration as the lead offences on the indictment. The judge acknowledged Eyre's letter had expressed remorse and referred to desensitisation surrounding the serious pornography.

Judge Trevor-Jones told Eyre his addiction was "entrenched behaviour" and saw him "completely preoccupied". But he also acknowledged how Eyre was a "psychological, physical and emotional risk to children" and only an immediate and lengthy custodial sentence would suffice.

The judge sentenced Eyre, who wore a short-sleeved flowery shirt during court, to 14 years with an extended licence period of five years. He will also have to sign the sex offenders' register for life. The judge also enforced a sexual harm prevention order, a deprivation order on his electronic devices and a restraining order to prevent him contacting the victim or her family.

Detective Inspector Victoria Tinsley, from Merseyside Police's Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: "Merseyside Police is completely committed to bringing child sex offenders before the courts, no matter how long ago the abuse took place. We have specialist officers within our Online Child Abuse Investigations team who are dedicated to investigating these crimes, bringing those responsible before the courts and ultimately protecting young people from unimaginable suffering.

"Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to stress that if you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know of a child being abused, please come forward and report this to police. We take all such reports extremely seriously and if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us we have specially trained officers who will treat you with sensitivity and compassion."

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A woman in her eighties was sexually assaulted by a perverted burglar who broke into her home. The bedbound victim, woke to find Anthony Shakleton 'standing over her' with a hoodie over his head before he carried out the 'dark and deviant' act, a court heard.

Shakleton, 33, had broken into her home in Birkenhead, Wirral as she slept in the early hours of May 31 this year, Liverpool Crown Court was told.

The terrified woman asked who he was and told her to get out. Robert Dudley, prosecuting, said Shackleton shouted back at her that she was a "nosey b***h" and a "c***" before sexually assaulting her.

When Shackleton realised the victim wore an incontinence pad he called her "a baby", the Liverpool Echo reports. He also placed, what was described as being like a golf ball, in her mouth and a flannel over her face.

Mr Dudley told the court Shackleton also slapped her in the face leaving a "red mark".Shackleton stole the victim's purse and a sentimental bracelet, which was given to her by her son who died in tragic circumstances.

The 33-year-old was linked to the horrific crimes after DNA evidence was found on a disposable vape left at the property and on the woman's purse which was stolen.

The woman also provided a victim impact statement and it said how she "does not want to see anyone" and was "scared to sleep". She added how she still sees images of Shackleton.

Her daughter also provided a victim impact statement and described how her mum's life has been "shattered" following the incident. She said how her mum was rushed to hospital following the incident and doctors feared she would not survive the night due to being so frail.

She added how her mum was hospitalised on various occasions since the incident but thanks to her "tenacity" and "mental strength" has come through.

Mr Dudley read the statement on her behalf and in it, she addressed Shackleton directly. "You deserve to go to prison for a long time as you are clearly a danger," she said.

The court heard how Shackleton had four previous convictions in his adult life, including burglary and conspiracy to commit blackmail. Chris Stables, defending, told the court the mitigating circumstances put forward was "in no way an attempt to justify what happened" and there was "scant mitigation to be found".

He added: "No amount of punishment will be enough but the court is here to take an objective view of the offences."

Mr Stables told the court he had a troubled childhood and suffered with substance and drug abuse. He said the "need to fund the addiction lead to the crimes" and was under the influence of drink and drugs at the time of the incident.

He said Shackleton had previous employment and did "possess employability skills". Mr Stables said: "He feels disgusted and embarrassed and regrets it bitterly."

Shackleton, of Queens Drive, Prenton, previously denied sexually assaulting his victim, but later pleaded guilty to both burglary and sexual assault on a female.

Judge Robert Trevor-Jones addressed Shackleton and said how the offence of burglary was "despicable enough", however, the second offence of sexual assault was a "dark and deviant impulse which is difficult to believe".

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A paedophile collapsed in the dock moments before he was due to learn his fate from a judge after plotting "fun meets" with girls at an Aldi supermarket.

Shaun Moynihan engaged in lewd discussions with what he believed were 13-year-old children in online chatrooms. But, unbeknown to him, he was actually speaking to undercover police officers.

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Friday, that the dad began communicating with a PC posing as a 13-year-old girl on RandoChat on November 3 last year under the name "Anonymous Man 51" and using a photograph of himself as his profile picture. Fiona McNeill, prosecuting, described how he gave his first name and said he was "looking for fun meets".

Moynihan, of Clifford Road in Birkdale, "asked if she had big boobs" and stated he "wouldn't meet her until she was 16 or 18", but then "backtracked and said he would meet up as long as she looked older". The chat then continued on November 8, with the now 52-year-old suggesting that they meet on the coming Saturday.

The messages then became "extremely graphic and highly sexualised", with the defendant asking if she was a "naughty girl" and questioning her on her sexual preferences. Moynihan asked to meet up for sex, stating that he would drive to her location and they could then "go wherever she liked"

He proposed going to a hotel afterwards and said he would buy her underwear. The pervert asked whether she was in school at the time and instructed her to go to the toilet to record a voice note for him.

Moynihan then started a second chat with another decoy, who was also supposedly aged 13, on the same platform that day. But he was again talking to a police officer.

He stated that he was "Shaun from Southport" and again said he was "looking for fun meets". Moynihan suggested meeting at an Aldi store at 6.30pm the same day and asked whether she was "into naughty stuff".

The messaging continued on November 10, with him by now going by the username "Sean, Man, 51". He was reminded of her purported age, but said they could still "kiss and play with each other".

Moynihan detailed sex acts he wanted to perform on her and again suggested meeting at Aldi that night before "taking it from there". He asked her to turn up "without wearing any underwear" and said he would be there "at 6.30pm in his silver car".

Officers subsequently searched Facebook for users called Shaun in the Southport area and identified him from his profile picture. Moynihan was arrested at his workplace on January 16 this year and, after being cautioned, replied: "I have engaged in online chats but never knew they were children."

Under interview, he accepted that he had been chatting to children but "denied any intention of meeting a child" - instead saying that it was "fantasy only". He has no previous convictions.

Moynihan had previously been due to be sentenced on Friday last week, but the case had to be adjourned after he seemingly suffered a panic attack. After entering the dock, he was heard to say that he was "claustrophobic" and began hyperventilating.

The defendant initially appeared to have been calmed down by a security guard, but his state worsened once more when the judge entered the courtroom. The dock officer remarked that she believed he had stopped breathing and Moynihan appeared to fall unconscious, with his head having fallen back as he sat apparently unresponsive.

An ambulance was called, and he was subsequently taken to hospital. His sentencing was adjourned for seven days as a result.

Jeremy Rawson, defending, told the court today: "References speak highly of him. He has kept the support of his family since his arrest.

"He has always worked, either in the care system or in shop work. At the time of the offence, he was working as a salesman in mobility products.

"He is the sole wager supporting the family. His wife is sitting in the public gallery and is supportive of him."

Moynihan admitted two counts of attempting sexual communications with a child, two charges of arranging a child sex offence and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. He put his head in his hands and cried as he was jailed for two years and 11 months and told to sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

Sentencing, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: "You were making persistent efforts to try to meet up. You are someone of fully good character before this offence took place.

"Clearly, you are remorseful. One hopes, given the indication I have seen in this courtroom, that you are able to bear what you have done.

"It seems you were a long time user of chatrooms. Clearly, this is something that led on to what you did.

"You are 52 and the girls, so-called, were 13 years of age. There is no getting away from that fact."

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A sex offender who believes he was wrongly convicted a decade ago failed to tell police where he was staying, a court heard. Following his conviction in 2013, David Nash is required to tell the authorities where he is living but failed to do so.

The 28-year-old admitted failing to comply with notification requirements of the Sex Offenders' Register. Today a judge jailed him for eight months.

Prosecutor Dafydd Roberts told Caernarfon Crown Court that Nash had been convicted of sex offences back in 2013. He was released from prison on August 1 this year.

He was told to go to an office of the probation service and was given an address in Denbighshire where he should live. But he failed to do so and had no fixed address.

He then failed to tell police of his whereabouts every seven days - as required by the terms of his sentence - until police found and arrested him on August 18. Mr Roberts said Nash accepted he was in breach of the notification requirements.

But Mr Roberts said: "He said he was wrongfully convicted in 2013 and he wished to know how to appeal against the imposition of the notification requirements." Mr Roberts said it was Nash's "eighth breach" of those terms.

Sarah Yates, defending, said her client believes he was released from prison into an environment surrounded by drugs which was "detrimental" to his welfare and rehabilitation. It was true he hadn't gone to the accommodation as directed but was living with family and friends.

He should have known about the notification terms but is vulnerable. He has ADHD, cerebral palsy and poor coping skills. At 16 he had been diagnosed with a reading age of a nine-year-old.

The judge His Honour Timothy Petts told David Adam Barry Nash, now of Pool Hey, Stockbridge Village, Merseyside, that he had been convicted of a very serious sexual offence in 2013. He added: "Whatever you feel about the conviction, unless and until that conviction is successfully appealed, you are going to be subjected to the notification requirements.

"And if you don't comply with them you are going to get into further trouble." He said he would be going through a "revolving door".

He said it was the eighth breach and the punishments are steadily increasing.

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A high school teacher has been unmasked as a Snapchat paedophile "addicted" to indecent images of children.

Antony Phillips collected thousands of photographs of child abuse over the span of several years, even paying to download these vile materials. The 32-year-old, who also worked as a football coach, meanwhile made worrying searches for "changing room boys" online.

Liverpool Crown Court heard last week that he was linked via his IP address to the upload of a category B indecent image to Snapchat. Ben Berkson, prosecuting, described how police attended his home in December last year in order to arrest him, seizing two laptops and a mobile phone.

Both of the computers were subsequently found to contain indecent images of children. This included a stash of 784 pictures in category A, those showing the most serious forms of abuse.

A further 1,052 images in category B and 3,801 in category C were also discovered, as were 79 computer generated prohibited images. The "majority" of the more than 5,000 images were said to have shown "teenage boys of school age".

"Concerning search terms which indicated a predilection for young teenage boys" were found in Phillips' internet history, including one for "changing room boys". A teacher at Calday Grange Grammar School in West Kirby, Wirral, for more than seven years until January this year, he had been amassing his "large collection" since at least 2018 - including paying for images on websites and chat rooms.

The defendant, of Bridgenorth Road in Pensby, was also a football coach who took his team on residential trips. Phillips, who has no previous convictions, made "full and frank admissions" under interview, confessing to detectives that he was "addicted to accessing this material".

But he "denied having a sexual interest in the boys he taught and coached" as he was "able to draw a veil when it came to his professional career". The pervert did however "accept sexual arousal from accessing and viewing images of children".

Jim Smith, defending, told the court that his client "would always remain sorry for his actions and accepts he betrayed the faith and trust bestowed upon him by the school and students in not upholding the high moral standards and values of his position as a teacher". He was also said to have sought treatment from a psychotherapist and "made positive changes in his life".

Phillips admitted distributing indecent images, possession of indecent images, three counts of making indecent images and possession of prohibited images of children. He was handed a nine-month imprisonment suspended for two years by Judge Garrett Byrne, as well as being told to complete 60 hours of unpaid work, a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 15 days and the Horizon sex offender treatment programme.

Calday Grange head teacher Stephen Gray said in a statement to the ECHO: "I can confirm that Mr Phillips was an employee at the school between September 2015 and January 2023. Once we became aware of Mr Phillips' arrest, the school acted decisively and took all appropriate measures working alongside the police and the local authority designated officer.

"We were advised at every stage by our school solicitor and alongside the criminal process, the school also implemented its disciplinary policy and referred the matter to the Teaching Regulation Agency and Disclosure and Barring Service. The safeguarding of our students is of paramount importance to our school."

Phillips was also told to sign the sex offenders' register. Forfeiture of the seized devices was ordered.

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A sick couple who hatched a chilling paedophile plot on Facebook met for the first time in the dock after being convicted of a disturbing string of offences.

Sara Oliveria filmed herself performing sex acts as a young child watched in a series of Facebook and WhatsApp messages before sending them to 'depraved' David Lee, despite the pair never having met in person. Lee was 'misusing' messaging app Kik by uploading twisted videos of children being sexually abused, Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday.

The 37-year-old was eventually foiled when officers tracked down his IP address to his home on James Road in Woolton on February 1 last year. A series of vile chats between the former support worker and Oliveria were then discovered when several electronic devices were seized from him, Liverpool Echo reports.

Lee "stated his desire to have sexual contact" with his co-defendant "in full view" of a child and said he wanted the youngster to "touch his penis" in messages to Oliveria. Many of the details of their conversations are too graphic to publish, but Oliveria, of Gray Street in Bootle, responded to his perverted proposals by saying: "Yes, I love this idea."

The 37-year-old restaurant cleaner then filmed 24 videos and two photos which she sent to Lee. His mobile phone had a stash of two category A indecent images of children - the most serious form of abuse. Also stored on the device were two category B pictures, one being a still from said movie, and one category C image.

Under interview with police, Oliveria told officers that she had met Lee on Facebook and the pair had subsequently chatted on the social media network and WhatsApp. She also said that they had "never actually met in person".

At points during the hearing, Oliveria could be seen holding her head in her hands and weeping and described herself as being "vulnerable" when she struck up a relationship with Lee due to the breakdown of a previous relationship. She stated that speaking with Lee "made her feel good" and she "did not want to lose contact with him", so "played along with the fantasy".

Neither defendant has any previous convictions. Peter Wilson, appearing on behalf of Lee, said: "His offending behaviour really stems from his formative years. His uncle began to engage in assaults and homophobic abuse towards Mr Lee. He describes his uncle's behaviour as having left him feeling anxious and frightened.

"That has caused serious mental health issues. When he was young, he saw his mother suffer from an emotional breakdown. That caused him to use alcohol and drugs to self-medicate and escape his feelings. He didn't have the resilience to tackle his problems.

"However, all of that cannot excuse what has been said and done by Mr Lee. It goes some way to perhaps explain his behaviour. He is working hard to address these issues. He is absolutely terrified of what the court may impose today. He is motivated to address these issues and build a better life for himself. He is doing everything he can."

Peter White, defending Oliveria, meanwhile told the court: "She has come prepared for all eventualities. It wouldn't appear she was the driving force behind this offending. It is accepted that she engaged voluntarily. She is at a loss to explain why she has chosen to engage in this behaviour.

"She felt lonely and isolated. She concedes that that is no excuse. Her chief motivation is, whatever happens today, to try and put this behind her. She assures me she won't darken the doors of the court again.

"This is a lady who has had no involvement with the police until her arrest on these matters. She had a difficult upbringing in her native Lisbon - she tells me she was abandoned by her parents and there were periods of homelessness as a child."

Oliveria admitted two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and was jailed for 16 months and told to sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years. Lee pleaded guilty to encouraging an offender, possession of indecent images and three counts of making indecent images. He was imprisoned for two years, as well as being handed a sexual harm prevention order and a notification requirement - both of which will run for the next decade.

Sentencing, Judge Denis Watson KC said to him: "What is clear from many, many of the messages is that the sexual thrill and satisfaction you got was from the fact that this was happening in front of a child. Initially she was reluctant, but whatever reluctance she had initially was largely forgotten."

Description

A paedophile was caught red-handed by a dog on a 'routine' police visit to his home.

Andrew Contento, a serial sex ofender, thought he had been able to hide his phone from officers when they visited his house after he had previously been handed a sexual prevetion order. But Contento was rumbled once again following the introduction of a police dog specifically trained to find hidden devices.

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, that the 54-year-old is subject to a lifelong sexual harm prevention order as a result of his previous convictions. Derek Jones, prosecuting, described how the terms of this SHPO require Contento to hand over any electronic devices he owns upon request by police officers, the Echo reports.

Merseyside Police made a routine visit to his home on Rock Lane East in Rock Ferry, Wirral, on the morning of July 24 this year as part of the order. He let the PCs into the address and handed over three such items.

Contento claimed he had no other devices to disclose, and was then told that a "specialist digital media search dog" would be brought into the property to ensure that he was complying with his SHPO. The pervert maintained his denials, but PD Monty entered and swiftly sniffed out a further mobile phone inside a rucksack situated beside his feet.

At this, he replied: "You're going to lock me up. I know what's on it."

Contento interrupted Mr Jones at this stage in proceedings by saying: "Liar. That's a lie."

The prosecutor continued addressing the court however, saying that the defendant confessed under interview that he had been collecting indecent images "for his sexual gratification". Contento then made a further outburst, saying: "No, I didn't."

When the extra phone was analysed, it was found to contain 24 indecent videos graded in category A - those showing the most serious forms of abuse. These included a 31-minute "compilation" showing a girl aged as young as 12 being raped and a five minute and 35 second clip of a four-year-old being forced to perform a sex act on a man.

The device also contained 15 category B indecent images, including 13 videos, and 34 category C pictures - five of which were movies. A further 29 "cartoon or CGI images" were discovered on the hard drive.

Contento was first handed a sexual offences prevention order in 2009, when he received a community order for making indecent images. This was amended to a SHPO in 2015 when he was again found with a vile stash of child abuse material.

John Weate, defending, told the court that his client "disputed a number of comments attributed to him" but added: "He accepts through me that it is inevitable that an immediate custodial sentence is going to be passed in his case. He does not come forward with any limp excuses for his behaviour.

"He is a man who, at this point in time, is behaving himself in custody. He understands there is a requirement for him to tackle the obvious problems he has.

"If he doesn't want to be back and to into custody, he has got to ensure that nothing like this happens again. I ask your honour to pass a sentence that does not crush the resolve he appears to have to challenge the issues he has in life, so that at some stage he can come out of custody and learn his lesson."

Contento admitted three counts of making indecent images, possession of prohibited images of children and breaching a sexual harm prevention order. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for 20 months.

Sentencing, Judge Anil Murray said: "Clearly, your past amounts to an aggravating feature in this case. Unfortunately for you, police dog Monty is a specialist in finding electronic devices and did just that.

"You know this has to be an immediate custodial sentence. I am told you hope to have access to therapy and intend to try and change upon your release.

"I hope you do. Otherwise, you are going to serve more and more sentences of imprisonment."

Contento replied: "I understand. Thank you your honour."

Description

A Sefton man has been jailed to four years for child sex offences.

Callum Fairclough, 26 years, of Quigley Avenue in Netherton was sentenced to four years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, Monday 21 August. He was also given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs of children, possession of indecent photographs of children, two counts of taking an indecent photograph of a child, attempted blackmail, attempted sexual communication with a child, and attempting to cause/incite a child to watch a sexual act.

Following a long investigation, detectives charged Fairclough with a string of child sex offences which took place in June 2021.

Detective Inspector Victoria Tinsley said: “Following a long investigation Fairclough was charged with a string of offences which demonstrated him as a sexual predator, and now he is behind bars and can no longer cause harm to children.

“Merseyside Police is completely committed to stopping the possession and distribution of indecent images and, ultimately protecting children from sexual abuse and those who seek to do them harm.

“We hope that he will now reflect on the consequences of his utterly depraved actions while serving his jail time.”

Merseyside Police works with other UK forces, agencies and the Child Exploitation Online Protection centre as well as law enforcement agencies across the world who share our determination to protect children from dangerous offenders online. 
 
Det Insp Tinsley, added: “We have specialist officers within our Online Child Abuse Investigations team who are dedicated to investigating these crimes, bringing those responsible before the courts and ultimately protecting young people from unimaginable suffering. 

“Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to stress that if you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know of a child being abused, please come forward and report this to police. 

“We take all such reports extremely seriously and if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us we have specially trained officers who will treat you with sensitivity and compassion.”

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A paedophile magician who had animals including monkeys, meerkats and a pig in his 'Neverland Ranch-style' home was working in a school when he was arrested in Thailand for child sex offences.

Paul McKee used the stage name "Professor Paulos" while working as a children's entertainer - having performed for television celebrities and at private parties for legendary Liverpool FC footballers.

However, vile McKee was secretly a child sex offender, subjecting his victims to a catalogue of harrowing abuse over the course of nearly 25 years.

McKee, 57, could now spend the rest of his life in prison after being locked up for 30 years at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, reports the Liverpool Echo.

McKee, of no fixed address but formerly of Wallasey Village, Wirral - had to be extradited back to the UK from Thailand by authorities.

A trial previously heard he targeted some children who were just toddlers, and began his vile abuse in the mid-1980s until the late noughties. Several of the assaults had been filmed with a camcorder.

Prosecutors told the court McKee was a "serial abuser of children", with some of the details of his attacks being too graphic to publish.

His disgusting behaviour was finally reported to police in 2017. In their "harrowing, dark and disturbing" accounts, the complainants described how, when they were as young as two, McKee "treated them like sex slaves".

The defendant, a Mormon from a religious family, was living in Thailand and had to be returned to this country in order to face a jury. When his brother messaged him on social media after learning of the allegations, the pervert replied saying he was "sorry for what he had done and was asking for God's forgiveness".

The court was told he was "a predatory paedophile capable of extreme acts of violence against very young children" and had subjected the victims to a "prolonged, vicious campaign of abuse". He had committed acts of "brutal and profound degradation" which were "designed to emasculate and humiliate".

McKee's career in the entertainment industry, which saw him work as a DJ as well as a magician, included shows at the Floral Pavilion Theatre in New Brighton, Greenacres Animal Park in Deeside, Wales and Robin Hood Caravan Park in Rhyl.

He is reported to have given personal performances to at least two former Liverpool FC stars, who each made hundreds of appearances for the Reds. A news report from 1998 also said he performed ahead of that year's Christmas lights switch on by Michael Le Vell and Sally Dynevor - who played Kevin and Sally Webster in Coronation Street.

McKee was known to allow young children to "come and go" to his house as they pleased and permitted them to drink and smoke on his premises from an early age. He reportedly kept a pig in his back garden and had monkeys, meerkats and sugar gliders as pets at his property which appeared similar to 'Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch'

Judge David Swinnerton told McKee in his sentencing remarks on Monday: "You created an environment in the house where children wanted to come. You had animals - a pig, monkeys.

"(Children) were allowed to come and go. In their teens, they were allowed to drink and smoke."

McKee spent a decade living in Thailand - where he worked as a teacher in a primary school and has a wife and young daughter.

Judge Swinnerton said: "It is notable though that you chose to work in a sphere that would put you in contact with children. You also spent some time in a school after your move to Thailand, although you were very evasive about that in evidence."

A first offender, McKee's defense counsel said: "The mitigation in this case is of course limited, because my lay client exercised his right to have a trial. He will spend a large proportion of the remainder of his life in custody. Of course, he has not been in custody before."

McKee was convicted of 13 child sexual offences, including rape and sexual assault after a trial. He was cleared of two further counts. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, he was jailed for 30 years - a term of which he must serve at least two thirds before becoming eligible for release - and handed an additional four-year licence period.

Sentencing, Judge Swinnerton said: "You were highly emotionally manipulative, controlling and physically violent. You systematically and repeatedly subjected them all to an appalling catalogue of sexual abuse and rape.

"Throughout the trial, the pain and psychological damage that you have caused to those seven women was raw and obvious. I once again pay tribute to them for their strength in coming forward and their determination and courage in giving evidence.

"You, on the other hand, have shown not one sign of remorse. You do not seem to experience shame, guilt, remorse or empathy - you acted on your own sexual desires with no care for the traumatic impact on the children you abused."

One woman left the courtroom in floods of tears saying "I'm going to pay someone to kill him, I want the f***ing b****** dead" as the judge passed sentence.

Detective Constable Graeme Beacall said following his sentencing: "The offences McKee committed were truly horrific and spanned a number of years and victims. Our investigation commenced in 2017 when his victims first came forward.

"When the charges against him were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service, the extradition process was initiated. McKee was located and arrested by Royal Thai Police in September 2022 and spent a period on remand in Bangkok before being returned to the UK.

"He then chose to prolong his victims' agony by pleading not guilty and forcing them to suffer the ordeal of a trial. Thankfully today, due to the courage of the victims, justice has been served and he will now serve a considerable period of time behind bars.

"I hope that McKee’s conviction and sentence will provide a sense of closure for his victims and finally allow them to move on with their lives. This case has proven that time and distance is no barrier to justice, and that we will do everything within our powers to find the people responsible for committing crimes such as this and bringing them to justice - even when they attempt to flee to other countries."

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A perverted chef who sexually assaulted a semi-conscious student on Concert Square has been jailed again after groping a girl on a train.

James Owen, who has a shocking record for sex offences, drunkenly attacked the teenager as she travelled on the service with a friend.

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, that the 17-year-old victim was on a train in the Wirral area in June 2021 when the stranger began talking to her. David Polglase, prosecuting, described how the 27-year-old then sexually assaulted her as she got up to leave at her stop.

Owen, of Buckingham Road in Wallasey, was arrested the same evening. He has a total of 37 previous convictions for 58 offences including for "fare dodging" on railways, harassment and violent crimes.

The pervert was convicted of indecent exposure in 2015, receiving a suspended prison sentence. Owen was then locked up for 12 months for sexual assault in 2018.

The ECHO previously reported how he preyed on a drunk and defenceless student who had been separated from her friends after a night out in Liverpool city centre in May of the same year. The young woman was unable to stand when he approached and tried to talk to her, ruffled her hair then walked off towards Concert Square.

But Owen, then of Sussex Road in Southport, returned and was shown on CCTV footage standing "uncomfortably close" to the complainant before "tampering" with her handbag and spilling its contents. She held onto a window to try and stay upright before he kissed her, despite the fact that her eyes were closed.

The sex offender went on to rifle through her bag, stealing cigarettes and a lighter. Owen - who was then homeless but working as a chef -subsequently put his hand on her leg and moved it up her thigh, before he was joined by a second man who pinched her mobile phone.

An unknown woman also stole an item from the victim's handbag before passersby intervened. The defendant subsequently received a 17-week imprisonment suspended for two years in April 2021 for failing to comply with notification requirements and battery.

Paul Wood, defending, told the court that his client had "expressed remorse and been abstinent from alcohol". He added: "Very importantly, he has showed insight into what he has done.

"He does want to change his way. He has lived somewhat of a chaotic life."

Owen admitted sexual assault shortly before he was due to stand trial, as well as a further charge of failing to comply with notification requirements after neglecting to inform the police of a change of address. He was jailed for two years and told to sign the sex offenders' register for a further 10 years, as well as being handed an indefinite restraining order.

Sentencing, Judge David Hale said: "You didn't know her from Adam, but you struck up a conversation. When she gets up to leave, you stuck your hand out and groped her in the crotch without any thought for the consequences.

"She has been extremely badly affected by it. You have troubling previous convictions, some of them trivial and some of them not - including a previous sexual assault.

"This took place on a train when people were about. Despite that, you felt able to do this."

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Christopher Wade, 54, of no fixed abode, was found guilty following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court which concluded in February before his sentencing today, Tuesday 14 March. He was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and Sex Offender notification for life.
 
At around 10.30pm on Friday 12 August 2022, Wade approached the teenage victim in Southport town centre. He bought alcohol and supplied her with drugs, and while she was incapacitated, Wade raped and sexually assaulted her in a nearby park. The victim was left on a bench and managed to alert a taxi driver to what had happened, at which time police were called.
 
Following an extensive investigation including forensic, CCTV and witness enquiries, Wade was last month found guilty of rape; assault by penetration; and sexual assault.
 
Speaking after the sentencing of Wade, Detective Constable Jennifer Guest said: "Today's sentence hopefully gives the victim some comfort as she continues to recover from this traumatic and deeply damaging ordeal, and we will continue to support her going forward. We recognise the profound impact such serious crime has on victims, and hopefully she will in time gain strength and a brighter future.
 
"Wade preyed on and exploited this vulnerable young girl, using drugs and alcohol to lure her away from a public place, and then added to her suffering through the ordeal of an investigation and trial.
 
"He showed callous disregard for his victim and is clearly a significant danger to the public. Wade will now be serving a sentence which reflects the gravity of his crimes, and one which will protect the public. We'd also like to thank the taxi driver who showed compassion in looking after the victim and calling police on the night. His swift actions helped our investigation immensely.
 
“We are committed to protecting victims of sexual offences, and ensure that anyone who reports an incident to us will be safeguarded and supported throughout the investigation.
 
“Anyone that has been a victim of a sexual offence or is concerned for the safety of someone they know should come forward and speak to us. This isn’t always an easy decision, but be assured that we have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.