Latest Offenders Merseyside

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Gary Healey flew to Faro with his fiance, breaching his court order for an eighth time

A child sex offender broke a court order for an eighth time by flying to Portugal with his fiance.

Gary Healey flew off to Faro with his fiance without notifying police he had obtained a passport or he was leaving the country. Daniel Bramhall, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court how the Home Office contacted police on October 22 last year about Healey having left the country.

Five days later, Healeys sex offender manager spoke to him on the phone. Healey, 46, had been placed on the sex offenders' register for seven years in 2017 after being convicted of inciting a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity, which earned him a suspended prison sentence.

Healey confirmed he had obtained a passport on December 8, 2020 and failed to notify police about it. He voluntarily attended Birkenhead police station and admitted to the breach and also said he failed to notify the force about going abroad.

The court heard he has three previous convictions for 11 offences. The other seven convictions are for breaching the requirement of the Sexual Offenders Register by not notifying the authorities he was homeless.

Healey, of Osborne Road, Birkenhead, pleaded guilty to two offences of breaching the SOR order but narrowly escaped being sent straight to jail after a judge heard how he has recently been engaging with support workers. Judge Gary Woodhall imposed a six month prison sentence suspended for 15 months and ordered him to carry out 15 days rehabilitation activities.

He said: "You have this hanging over you to make sure you continue to engage with those support services."

The judge also imposed a three month curfew with an electronic tag for three months between 9pm-6am and ordered him to pay 340 prosecution costs. Anna Duke, defending, said that his probation officer confirmed that he has been engaging with his support workers.

Judge Woodhall told Healey, whose fiance sat in the public gallery, that the pre-sentence report revealed when his partners father was terminally ill his dying wish was for the couple to have a foreign holiday.

He encouraged Healey, who had never been abroad, to get a passport and after his death they went to Faro.

The judge said that Healey had long term drug problems but there has now been consistent engagement with community support services and you have demonstrated your motivation to engage with the problem.

He added that the defendant now has stable accommodation and strong family ties and is assessed as a low risk of re-offending.

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A paedophile claimed he sent a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl explicit photos and sexual messages as an escape from the stress of his dad dying from cancer.

Alex McDonald, 20, first messaged Amber on February 9 last year, asking on Kik if she wanted a tribute a type of sex act someone films and sends on.

Despite Amber saying she was 13, McDonald carried on sending pictures and videos of his penis and lied that he was 16, saying: Is that bad, or are you fine with it?

When she told him its up to you, he said: I mean, Im fine with it just making sure youre not scared.

Liverpool Crown Court heard McDonald sent more nude photos, along with others clearly showing his face, and encouraged her to perform a sex act before the messages stopped on March 19.

Police went to his home in Walton, where he lived with his parents, a week later and his mum identified him from one of the selfies.

Officers seized his two iPhones and a tower computer, before he attended a voluntary police interview on September 20.

He gave a prepared statement, in which he admitted talking to Amber and accepted his actions were unlawful and he knew she was 13.

McDonald said he was ashamed before answering no comment to all further questions.

He was jailed for 20 months after pleading guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to look at an image of sexual activity, and attempting to cause a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity.

Defending, David Birrell told the court: He was at a low ebb in his life at the time he committed these offences.

He was at home, essentially isolating, caring for his terminally ill father. His father has stage four cancer, which has spread throughout his body and, frankly, he has not long left.

Hes lived beyond the prognosis he was given, which was 12 months, and the defendant was struggling emotionally and turned to alcohol.

He sought to escape I suppose online and it was against that background that he committed these offences.

Mr Birrell told the court McDonalds mum had written a letter saying he is a decent person and calling his behaviour a one-off.

He said the author of a pre-sentence report believed McDonalds dads cancer may very well have contributed to this offending and suggested his risk could be managed in the community with a sex offender treatment programme.

But Judge Anil Murray told McDonald that in his chats with Amber, you made it clear you werent bothered about her being 13.

He also observed McDonald said he didnt remember the conversations, denied having any sexual interest in children and said he didnt think the chats were illegal at the time.

The judge added: Youre now in a relationship with someone. I note you havent told her about this case.

He went on: Im not convinced youre a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

You continue to say you cant remember what you did. You say you cant remember the conversations. You say you have no sexual interest in children.

All of those contentions seem very unlikely to me.

McDonald was also ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

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A CONVICTED paedophile has pleaded guilty to further sexual offences against a young girl.

Melvin Miller, 46 and originally from St Helens, was jailed in April 2020 for 17 years after pleading guilty to 35 sexual offences against two girls.

While he was in prison, one of the girls he abused told an adult about other rapes that she was subjected to by the defendant on a regular basis.

Police made further investigations and found a video on the hard drive of Millers computer that showed him raping her.

The evidence was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service and authorisation was given for Miller to be charged with further offences

Today (March 8, 2022) at Liverpool Crown Court, Miller pleaded guilty to offences of rape, attempted rape and taking indecent images of a child.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

In a statement Senior Crown Prosecutor Mairead Neeson, a specialist lawyer with CPS Mersey Cheshires Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) unit, said: The video evidence of the abuse of this very young girl found on the hard drive of Melvins Millers computer was harrowing and revealed the level of depravity he had inflicted upon her.

This young girl could not possibly have understood what she was being forced into she was just a means to an end for Miller.

"The feelings and emotions of this young child meant nothing to him. She now has to find a way forward in her life, having suffered such trauma.

She was unable to disclose the full extent of the abuse she had suffered when Miller was prosecuted in 2020, given her tender years and the inherent difficulty that exists for very young children to voice matters of such an intimate nature.

"This often happens. It is not unusual for children to deny the abuse they have suffered or be silent as to what has happened.

"It often takes years for victims of sexual abuse to vocalise what has happened to them. She has been exceptionally brave in coming forward despite still being a very young child.

The Crown Prosecution Service works hard to support the victims of child sexual abuse and their families and help them through the criminal justice system. Time is no barrier to a prosecution.

"We will listen to victims, no matter how long ago the offending took place.

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Benny Lundquvist was extradited to face justice for his sick crimes in Merseyside

A paedophile who suffered a stroke before he was extradited to the UK has moaned about his treatment in British prisons.

Benny Lundquvist, 65, from Sweden, molested a little girl in sexual abuse in Merseyside that had a "devastating impact" on the victim.

But while she was left contemplating suicide, he returned to his native country and carried on with his life like nothing had ever happened.

In late 2020, the pervert suffered a stroke, just months before he was dragged back to Merseyside to face justice for his sick crimes.

Now he is complaining about prison healthcare not being of the same standard he was receiving in a rehabilitation centre back home.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Lundquvist's victim was a very young girl when he started abusing her in the Merseyside area.

Lundquvist performed sex acts on the child and also exposed himself to her and asked her to perform a sex act on him.

Frances Willmott, prosecuting, said the little girl "didn't tell anyone because she had been told to keep it a secret".

When the girl got older she realised what happened was wrong, was "distressed" and told friends, but by then Lundquvist was long gone.

He was extradited to UK and stood trial in January, when he was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault and one count of indecency with a child.

Ms Willmott said the now adult woman described self-harming as a teenager and "struggling with her body image due to comments made to her by Mr Lundquvist".

She said the victim suffered from suicidal thoughts and flashbacks, struggled with sexual relationships and had feelings of shame, leading to her undergoing therapy, but she hadn't felt able to speak openly about what happened to her.

The court heard Lundquvist, of Blockfljtstigen, Kungsngen, Sweden, had no previous convictions in the UK or in his native country.

Mark Pritchard, defending, said his client's comments in a pre-sentence report meant "I will be somewhat limited in the mitigation I can put forward".

He said Lundquvist had ongoing health issues arising from a stroke he suffered in October 2020 in Croatia, when he was flown by air ambulance to an intensive care unit in Sweden.

Mr Pritchard said: "He was hospitalised in a stroke unit for a number of months. He was unable to walk or talk properly and was tube fed."

The lawyer said Lundquvist was discharged to a rehabilitation centre, but then the extradition proceedings began and "that rehabilitation was of course put on hold whilst he was in custody".

Mr Pritchard said: "He still has sensory issues, hearing loss left hand side, numbness in his right side, which goes up into his head, causing him pain.

"He says the prison healthcare here is not of the same standard as he was having in rehabilitation. It's taken two months in custody to receive the medication he was relying on to prevent further strokes."

Mr Pritchard said Lundquvist also suffered from a "hormone imbalance", which in Sweden was treated with injections, but because the NHS works differently, in the UK this treatment can only be prescribed by a selected few specialists.

He said when his client doesn't receive these injections he struggles to sleep, his bones become "brittle" and he feels "achy all over".

Judge Louise Brandon said she had read the victim statement and heard the woman give evidence about the "devastating impact" of the abuse on her life.

The judge said: "She struggles with feelings of shame and disgust. She has contemplated suicide because of the disgust she feels at what you did to her."

Judge Brandon said there had been a delay in bringing Lundquvist to justice, adding: "She felt unable to speak up because she had been conditioned by you into believing that the behaviour was normal and she felt a sense of shame."

She told Lundquvist: "I have read your pre-sentence report with care. You have maintained that you did not commit the offences and so have shown no remorse, understanding or empathy for your victim.

"It's clear you put your own sexual desires above the consequences of what you were doing."

Judge Brandon said Lundquvist had children and grandchildren who would "bear the burden" of his time in jail and that she took into account his age and the state of his health, which would make prison a greater punishment for him than it would a younger man.

The judge jailed him for eight years and said he would be released at the halfway stage, at which point he will be "liable for automatic deportation".

Lundquvist must sign on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

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A paedophile hid his dark past from a new girlfriend by lying about what he had been to prison for.

John Bishop moved into the woman's Wirral home and gave her one of two mobile phones he had bought.

The 47-year-old was present when she had family over for Christmas dinner, including a nine-year-old child.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the woman only found out the truth when police tracked him down to her address.

But his lawyer revealed she is standing by Bishop - despite him being outed as a child sex predator.

Bishop previously admitted engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 16 and a series of offences of exposure at Worcester Crown Court.

That involved him repeatedly exposing himself to a young girl, spying on her and performing a sex act on himself while watching her.

The paedophile was jailed for three years, given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and told to sign on the Sex Offenders Register in July 2018.

He today pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching the SHPO, having previously admitted failing to comply with the requirements of the Sex Offenders Register.

Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, said Bishop was released from jail in November 2019 and moved to a home in Waterpark Road, Prenton, before he started a relationship with the woman.

Mr Hopkins said: "She says that since June 2021 he had been living with her at an address on the Wirral, which was not his registered address."

The court heard a sex offender manager from Merseyside Police visited his address in Waterpark Road on a number of occasions since 2019 but he wasn't there and the landlord said "I don't think he's living here".

Mr Hopkins said enquiries led them to the partner's address.

Police discovered he had bought two mobile phones in March 2020, both capable of accessing the internet, and gave one to his girlfriend. He failed to produce these to the police for inspection.

Mr Hopkins said: "He told his partner he was under the supervision of probation because he had been to prison for assaulting a police officer, which obviously wasn't the case."

John Weate, defending, said after coming out of prison, Bishop found work in Merseyside as a roofer and moved to the address in Waterpark Road.

However, he said during the pandemic his landlord wasn't happy with people visiting his home and at the time his girlfriend often used to stay over, so he moved in with her, although he accepted this was not an excuse.

Mr Weate said: "There were no children under the relevant age at that address when he moved in. He accepts that he didn't advise his partner of the reasons why he had served a prison sentence.

"The reason for that was in his own mind, he was simply concerned that she would take the - perhaps to many would be understandable - view that she wouldn't want to continue the relationship."

However, he added: "His fears in relation to his partner have not proved to be correct because she has - notwithstanding the fact that she has provided a statement to the police - she has remained in contact with the defendant whilst he's been in custody, and, as I understand it, intends to resume the relationship on his release, whenever that may be."

Mr Weate said nothing illegal or suspicious was found on either phone and on Christmas Day, when some 14 people were in the house for two to three hours, there was no suggestion of "any impropriety" by his client.

He said Bishop had "a number of adult children himself, one of whom still maintains contact with him".

The lawyer added: "His intention in the fullness of time is for him to renew the relationship with his partner, to get employment and try, if he can, to put this sorry episode in his life behind him."

Mr Weate said his client's 2018 offences were committed at a time when "he had lost control of his life" and was misusing illicit substances "as a consequence of childhood experiences".

He said those experiences that Bishop went through as a child "resulted in a conviction against a person with whom he was associated".

Judge David Aubrey, QC, said the SHPO had been put in place to protect children and it was Bishop's responsibility to comply with it.

He told Bishop: "Whilst the court accepts the background, eloquently made by Mr Weate, you made a deliberate choice to ignore that order in respect of a number of ways and not to communicate with the authorities for a considerable period of time."

Judge Aubrey said they were "flagrant" breaches of the order and jailed Bishop for two years and eight months.

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A convicted paedophile formed a relationship with a mum of two young children without telling her about his past.

Alan Airey, 37, met the woman via Facebook after his release in April last year following a four and a half year sentence for child sexual assault and grooming.

He used a false surname and began staying over with the woman, her children and a young teenage girl who also shared the Merseyside house.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the woman had been "shocked and concerned" when she learnt of his past, but Airey, who appeared via video link from prison, told the court she was actually visiting to bring in his underwear tomorrow.

His behaviour, which was banned by a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, (SHPO) had come to light after police received an anonymous phone call saying a convicted paedophile was staying at the house.

Claire Jones, prosecuting, said: It was made following a newspaper article publicising matters about the defendant."

On January 23, police found Airey upstairs and when arrested he initially made no reply, but a few minutes later he said, Is it because Im here?

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the woman said she knew he had been released from prison but he had told her he had been inside for robbery.

She said she was unaware he had a conviction for sexual offences.

Miss Jones said that the woman knew him as Alan Clegg and he also used another surname and sent her a friend message on Facebook around last Christmas which led to them exchanging numbers.

Miss Jones told the court: He visited on January 7 and their relationship began from there. He had been there at the address on a number of occasions and stayed overnight for up to three days at a time.

The woman said they had normal family time together in the house and sometimes he was alone with the two young children while she was elsewhere in the house.

The court was told that he had also sometimes been alone with the young teenage girl while she was out collecting her children from school.

Miss Jones said that the girl was spoken to and she confirmed that nothing untoward had occurred between them.

She added: When interviewed Airey made full and frank admissions and admitted he had not told his supervising officers that he had been staying at the house and had commenced an intimate relationship with the woman.

Airey was acting in breach of the SHPO and was also in breach of six of the conditions of his licence from prison. He has since been recalled and is not due for release before June next year.

The court heard he has 26 previous convictions for 53 offences although the only sexual offences occurred in 2018 for which he was jailed the following year and involved sexual activity with two teenage girls and grooming another girl aged under 16.

Airey, of Halkyn Road, Chester, pleaded guilty to being in breach of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Jeremy Rawson, defending, said that Airey is motivated to change and was considered suitable for a Cheshire pilot project for such offenders which involves rigorous supervision after release.

He said there had been local and national publicity about Aireys previous conviction and so he had used his mums maiden name on release.

Jailing him for two years the judge, Recorder Katherine Pierpoint said that a probation officer said he had been making "real efforts" to turn his life around but this was tempered by the fact he had not told the officer about his new relationship.

The judge added: "This was a very serious and persistent breach lasting for for about a month and you stayed on a number of occasions at that address. The risk here was a serious one, you had concealed your identity and were on licence."

The judge went on to say that she would make the restraining order to keep away from the woman and her family as requested by the prosecution but Airey, who appeared via video link suddenly announced: Shes coming to visit me tomorrow.

He continued: Were in a relationship, shes bringing my underwear in and probation know that.

Miss Jones said that further inquiries would be made and Recorder Pierpoint consequently did not make the restraining order.

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A Southport man has been jailed after admitting multiple offences of sexual activity with a child.

28-year-old Alin Cobzaru, of Scarisbrick Street, Southport, was convicted of four counts of sexual activity with a child involving penetration at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, 11 February and jailed for 7 years, 8 months.

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

The offences were reported in November 2020 and, following an investigation by police, Cobzaru was arrested, quickly charged and remanded into custody.

Cobzaru initially denied committing any sexual offences against the girl when she was under 16. This forced his victim to go through two trials, one which collapsed due to coronavirus issues and one which resulted in a hung jury.

Ahead of a third trial, Cobzaru admitted four offences of sexual activity with a child.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Parry from the Forces Protecting Vulnerable People Unit said: Cobzaru exploited his victim for his own sexual gratification and it is a relief that he has now been dealt with by the courts.

I would like to pay tribute to the strength and bravery shown by the victim throughout the investigation. While she and her family have received the full support of our officers from the moment the offending was reported and right through the court process, the impact of Cobzarus actions will last a lifetime.

By initially denying the offences, he has put his young victim through the additional pain of being forced to relive her ordeal through his trial and it is pleasing to know he behind bars and can no longer cause harm to others.

Finally and most importantly, I want to reassure the communities of Merseyside Police simply will not tolerate anyone who seeks to exploit young people in this way.

If you are a young person and are being subject to sexualised behaviour you are not comfortable with, whether in person or via messages and social media, please contact police.

We have a specialist team committed to dealing with all forms of child exploitation, and they will treat any information you give extremely seriously, and will follow up any information they receive..

"If you have any suspicions about young people who could be at risk of this type of offending, please call police straight away. We can make an assessment and take the necessary action.

Call 999 if you suspect such an incident is in progress, or pass any other information via 101, @MerPolCC on social media, or anonymously via 0800 555 111."

You can also visit https://www.listentomystory.co.uk/ which is a campaign to raise awareness of Child Sexual Exploitation, where parents, teachers, carers and young people can learn about potential warning signs.

Merseyside Police, alongside three other forces, have also been part of a pilot project for a new service to report rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences online with the option to report anonymously.

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A paedophile tried to hide his phone in a freezer to stop police finding dozens of videos of children being raped.

Athanasios Konstantinidis had already been caught with child abuse images once in June 2019 but a judge had spared him jail on that occasion.

Yet instead of abiding by rules aimed at stopping him offending again, the 57-year-old bought a new phone the following year and began downloading hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse.

Derek Jones, prosecuting, said Konstantinidis kept the existence of his phone hidden from officers who were monitoring him at regular meetings.

He said: We now know that the defendant failed to disclose that he had purchased a new phone.

It came to light because police, in the meantime, had received intelligence that somebody had shared and uploaded indecent images of children.

The IP address was then tracked to this defendant.

When police arrived at his home in Southport on Wednesday, October 28, 2020, to carry out a search he was caught out trying to hide the phone.

Mr Jones said: He then tried to hide the mobile phone in a freezer in the kitchen.

This attempt was seen by an officer and the phone was seized.

Later analysis of the phone found a large trove of child abuse images had been downloaded.

They included 557 Category A images, the most serious, as well 929 Category B images and 1,514 Category C images.

The court heard there were 284 videos on the phone, one of which showed a girl believed to be around eight or nine years old being raped by a man while showing clear signs of distress.

Separately, Konstantinidis also sent two separate Category C images to other individuals over email.

The court heard that in one of the emails, sent in August 2020, Konstantinidis attached the picture and wrote: Enjoy.

Charles Lander, defending, said Konstantinidis quickly admitted all of the offences when arrested by police and pleaded guilty in court at the earliest opportunity.

He said there was nothing that could be said to lessen the seriousness of the offences themselves but said Konstantinidis was extremely isolated socially due to his responsibilities as a carer.

Mr Lander said Konstantinidis is the main carer for his wife, who has chronic leukaemia, and had become increasingly cut off from the outside world as he took steps to ensure she was isolating when the pandemic began as she was clinically vulnerable.

His caring responsibilities for her increased so significantly that he had to quit his job.

He was also grieving the loss of his mother in Greece, having not been able to travel to see her before she died due to Covid restrictions.

Mr Lander said the pandemic had also delayed a number of the courses he had been due to undertake to tackle his offending.

Mr Lander said: All I submit on his behalf is the background against which he did what he did.

The judge, Recorder Eric Lamb, said Konstantinidis had failed to use the second chance given to him by the courts to change his behaviour.

Recorder Lamb said: Not only were you given the opportunity of a suspended sentence, you were also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and the terms of that order were to ensure that you would have a constant reminder of the steps you needed to take to ensure that you did not fall prey to the temptation to download these disgusting images.

He said the actions of people like Konstantinidis fuelled the abuse of children.

Recorder Lamb said: Without people like you who take an interest in these images there would not be this abuse against children.

Konstantinidis, of Ashdown Close, Southport, admitted possessing, making and distributing indecent images of children and numerous counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

He was jailed for a total of 32 months.

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A boxing coach who sexually assaulted a stranger was a wannabe actor who had appeared on Hollyoaks and touted himself as playing a good villain.

Daniel Jones was jailed for 16 years yesterday after luring a woman into his house on the premise of helping his injured dog before sexually assaulting her.

He then trapped a female police officer in his living room as she tried to rescue his victim in July last year.

It has now emerged that, as well as running his gym and boxing business, the 47 year old had in fact been pursuing acting in the years running up to the pandemic.

He had a number of roles as an extra on TV shows like Hollyoaks and ITV drama Paranoid.

In his IMDB profile, Jones build is described as lending itself to henchmen, security guards and villains.

The profile reads: Having spent several years working in security management, and then owning his own security company, and boxing gym. Daniel was inspired by the many famous actors he would meet and a few years later and after some soul-searching his artistic nature guided him into acting towards the end of 2008.

Due to his physique, 5'10 and 185 Pounds, Daniel tends to be offered the roles of henchmen, security guards and villains which includes appearances in Channel 4's prime time show Hollyoaks in 2016, and Channel 4's gathering time in 2010. and the ITV Drama Paranoid in 2016.

It appears that Jones' roles were mainly as extras and he had pursued acting less in the years immediately preceding the pandemic.

Instead, he had focused on his gym and coaching business, Bespoke Bodies.

The court heard the coronavirus lockdown had a devastating impact on his business when gyms were forced to close, putting significant strain on his mental health

Trevor Parry-Jones, defending, said: He was unable to continue training when the lockdown happened.

That had a catastrophic effect on the gym and started to impact massively on the defendant.

While the court heard Jones had previously suffered with some mental health issues and drug use, this escalated as the pandemic wore on.

At this point, he then began to try to set up a business selling cannabis oil to supplement his income but also began to take DMT, a psychedelic drug.

Evidence provided in court indicated this was a catastrophic decision, with psychiatrists saying the drug was not an appropriate way of dealing with his mental health issues.

Sourcing the drug off the dark web, people around Jones began to notice his mental state deteriorate.

While he reported feeling happier and healthier, his family members became increasingly concerned by his erratic behaviour.

In a bizarre incident just before the attack, the court heard that while at a swimming pool, Jones told family members he could swim underwater indefinitely without breathing.

Despite this, there was little to suggest Jones, who had no similar previous convictions, would launch what a judge ruled was a planned attack on a stranger in the middle of the day.

While his neighbours thought he was not in a good mental state, they apparently described him as "daft as a brush" rather than a violent threat.

Yet standing outside on the street and behaving so erratically that members of the public called the police, Jones drew the attention of a woman after saying his dog had been hit by a car.

In a conversation which his victim later told police was very persuasive, Jones convinced her to come to his home to help him call a vet as he was distressed.

However, once through the door he immediately attacked her, tearing off her clothes and submitting her to a terrifying sexual assault.

When police, who were responding to earlier calls about Jones behaviour, arrived at his home, he dragged one officer into his living room, blocked the door and threatened to kill her.

He also ripped off her body worn camera before she managed to escape and the 47 year old was arrested.

The judge in his case, Recorder Ian Unsworth, QC, said Jones posed a significant risk to women and that without the proper support he could offend again.

He said Jones heaped humiliation on his victim during a brutal, ruthless and sustained assault before targeting a lone female police officer.

Jones was sentenced to 16 years in prison, with a further eight years on licence.

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A paedophile who downloaded child rape videos behind his mum's back today walked free from court.

Nathan Critchlow amassed a "foul, obscene and revolting" collection of 1,529 child sex abuse images.

The 25-year-old - who said he was snorting cocaine and drinking heavily at the time - now says he's "cured" of his paedophilia.

But a judge said he didn't accept this claim and the pervert needed to complete a sex offender treatment programme to reduce the risk he poses to children.

Liverpool Crown Court heard police raided Critchlow's home, where he lives with his mum in Wolverton Street, Anfield, on September 4, 2020.

Officers seized his laptop and iPhone, before they interviewed Critchlow, who denied that they would find any indecent images on the devices.

But when they were examined, said indecent images were found on both, which he had downloaded between February 2018 and September 2020.

Derek Jones, prosecuting, said Critchlow had searched online for "boy a***", "boy a***" and "nonce Liverpool" and downloaded illegal files with names such as "toddler rape" and "10-year-old boys" from cloud storage platforms Mega and Dropbox.

He had 431 Category A files - the most serious category showing child rape - including five videos, one showing a boy as young as eight being raped.

Critchlow had also collected 328 Category B and 754 Category C files.

Mr Jones said there were a further 12 extreme porn files showing bestiality.

Critchlow was interviewed again on April 27 last year, when he was confronted with the evidence, but gave a no comment interview.

He later admitted three counts of downloading and one count of possessing indecent images of children, plus possessing extreme porn.

The court heard he had no previous convictions but as a youth received a conditional caution for battery.

Recorder Ian Harris said he had read a letter from Critchlow's mum, sitting at the back of court, who was greatly concerned by his behaviour.

Peter White, defending, said Ms Critchlow was unable to work due to health conditions and his client was "now essentially her carer" on a day to day basis.

Mr White said: "At the time he was using heavily alcohol and cocaine and he suffers from ADHD."

The lawyer said: "It is conceded every image and every video represents an innocent victim and without people downloading such images, there could arguably not be demand for that abuse to be recorded and distributed."

He added: "Mr Critchlow has his difficulties, but he can grasp that concept your honour."

Mr White said his client was "adamant" that since the raid there had been no repeat offending and he had been "frank" with the author of a pre-sentence report and his mum about his "motivation" for the crimes.

He said his client had "particular difficulties", adding: "He's clearly been the victim himself of quite unpleasant behaviour directed towards him, be it in the workplace or during his school years."

Mr White urged the judge to spare him jail so he could undergo a sex offender treatment programme for adults with learning difficulties, "which seems to be all the boxes that Mr Critchlow unfortunately ticks".

Recorder Ian Harris told Critchlow he collected the files over more than two years, adding: "This isn't a one off, this is a lot of images downloaded over a period behind your mother's back.

"Obviously she wouldn't have stood for this had you spoken to her about it and you did it, as your pre-sentence report says, for your own sexual gratification.

"You say you're cured of this now - I'm afraid I don't accept that. This is a deep rooted concern but the orders I'm about to make I hope will punish you and assist in the long run."

The judge said: "These images are foul, obscene and revolting, collected as I've said over a two-year period.

"The degradation and the suffering the victims went through to provide people like you with some sort of pleasure must have been horrendous and the effects on them and their wellbeing are incalculable.

"People who act as you did perpetuate this market and lead to the further corruption of young children, all as I've said for your pleasure.

"By using these images you perpetuate and fuel an evil market."

However, the judge said he believed there was a "realistic prospect of rehabilitation" and that if he jailed Critchlow, he would then come out of prison without receiving the type of treatment that could reduce his risk to children.

He said: "I'm giving you the opportunity to benefit from that work - if it fails you will go to prison."

Recorder Harris gave Critchlow 15 months in jail, suspended for two years, with a sex offender treatment programme, 25-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and 160 hours of unpaid work.

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A convicted child sex attacker who keeps downloading indecent images of children was branded "dangerous".

Patrick Downey, 40, has been in and out of jail for the last two decades because of his twisted perversion.

Last year police caught him with 426 sick photos, including one of a boy aged just four being raped.

Judge Andrew Menary, QC, said: "The offence plainly is bad enough in and of itself, but in your case it's particularly grave, because of your history of this type of behaviour.

"On any view, by any measure, you are plainly someone who has a very serious and unhealthy interest in young children.

"You are, by the strict definition of that word, frankly a paedophile."

Liverpool Crown Court heard police raided Downey's home in Peel Road, Bootle on May 13 last year.

Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, said they seized a Samsung mobile phone, a laptop and a MacBook.

On the devices they discovered 98 Category A images - the most serious category showing child rape - one involving a boy as young as four.

There were 178 Category B images, one involving the abuse of a toddler, and 150 Category C images, one of a boy aged three to four.

Downey admitted three counts of downloading and one count of possessing indecent images of children.

Possessing Category A indecent images has a sentencing range of 26 weeks up to three years in sentencing guidelines.

Downey has 46 previous convictions, which include offences of dishonesty but also multiple sexual offences.

He was put on the Sex Offenders Register in 2003 when he was convicted of gross indecency with a child and indecent images offences.

In 2007 he was hit with a lifelong Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) after allowing a 16-year-old boy to stay at his home.

He was convicted of downloading indecent images again in 2008, and then again in 2014, when he was also caught distributing them.

On that occasion, Downey, formerly of Wellfield Road, Walton, was found to be a "dangerous offender", as defined in law.

He was jailed for three years, with an extended five years on licence - meaning he was still on licence when he downloaded these latest images.

Downey was jailed for two years and eight months in March 2019, after he lied about his identity to get a job at a Blackpool hotel while on licence.

He had used his husband's name to get the managerial role at the hotel, and a judge pointed out the job "gave him direct access to children

Downey, then 38, was caught out after police learned he had moved from Merseyside without telling them - in breach of notification requirements.

That sixth breach on his record also involved him meeting up with another registered sex offender, while he was at the tourist resort.

John Weate, defending, today said Downey no longer stood by comments he made in a pre-sentence report and took responsibility for the offences.

Mr Weate asked for full credit of one third for his client's early guilty pleas.

He accepted Downey was assessed to be a "high risk" and said he understood the judge might again conclude he was dangerous.

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A paedophile who said he wanted to take a girl to bed has avoided jail.

Philip Street, 41, sent sexually explicit messages to a person he believed was a 13-year-old child.

He asked the supposed girl whether she would make him wear a condom if they were to have sex.

The pervert, of Bedford Avenue, Rock Ferry, was actually talking to an undercover police officer.

But a judge said his "very significant disability" substantially reduced his responsibility for the crime.

Street admitted attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in jail.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Street's solicitors previously raised concerns about whether he was capable of entering a plea.

Derek Jones, prosecuting, said Street had a profile on Chat Avenue, a social media website "mainly used by teenagers aged between 13 and 18", with 13 being the minimum age.

He said Street entered a chat room called "teen chat" on February 12, 2021 and messaged the decoy profile "Kaylee13".

Mr Jones said: "The defendant told her straight away he was 40 years of age and asked her whether she had a girlfriend.

"She then informed him that she was 13.

"It was actually Kaylee who said 'we can move to Skype because we can't share pictures on here'.

"The defendant did say at that point 'I haven't asked for any pictures', but they then agreed to go onto Skype."

The prosecutor added: "When they went onto Skype, he jokingly said to her 'you will be after a picture of my d*** next' and then said 'I will show you my d*** later if you're good'.

"He then asked her whether she would make him wear a condom if they were to have sex."

Street sent a clothed picture of himself to Kaylee, before telling her: "I would like to take you to bed, I would be gentle with you."

He asked further sexually explicit questions and requested a photo of her face, to which the officer sent a generic photo, which Street said was "pretty".

Mr Jones said the pair discussed a female friend of Kaylee, and Street talked about "him being involved with the two girls".

Street did not suggest meeting up with the girl during three conversations, which lasted around an hour and a half in total.

He was traced by his email address and arrested at his home on April 13, when a police search did not reveal any illegal material.

Mr Jones said: "He was interviewed, your honour will have seen not just with an appropriate adult, but somebody acting as an intermediary.

"He accepted the messages were from him, albeit he couldn't remember some of them. He claimed to be drunk when he sent some of them and denied having a sexual interest in children."

Bernice Campbell, defending, said her client, who had no previous convictions, was accompanied at court by his uncle, who is his carer.

Judge Stuart Driver, QC, said: "This is an exceptional case Ms Campbell. The recommendation in the pre-sentence report is realistic and that's the course that I'm going to follow."

The judge told Street he would have to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years.

Judge Driver said he would not read out the details of the order "as I think it will be hard for you to understand''.

However, he said they included restrictions on Street's use of the internet, and he must not attempt to contact, have unsupervised contact with, or live in the same house as anyone under 16, unless exceptions applied.

He said: "This is a complicated order. I'm afraid it's your responsibility and the responsibility of your carers to make sure you know the rules and that you stick to them, or you will be committing an offence for which you could be sent to prison."

Judge Driver said: "In mitigation, there was no child, this was an adult impersonating a child, and your messages were confined to a single day.

"However, the most important piece of mitigation in this case is the fact that you suffer from a very significant disability.

"You have cerebral palsy and spastic paraplegia, which substantially reduces your culpability for this offending.

"You're in your 40s and have never offended before and of course you pleaded guilty."

The judge handed Street a two-year community order, with a 15-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and a sex offender treatment programme.

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Ian Watson, 56, of Churchfields, St Helens was sentenced to five years imprisonment after being found guilty of arranging and facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence.

A 56-year-old man has been caught arranging to travel to Cheshire to have sex with a nine-year-old boy.

Ian Watson, of Churchfields in St Helens, was caught by police making arrangements online to meet a nine-year-old boy in Cheshire to engage in sexual activity with the child.

Watson was making the horrifying arrangements with another adult online, but what he did not know was that his dark web accomplice was actually a police officer from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU)

On March 30, 2020 he was arrested at his home address and appeared in Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, January 28 charged with child sexual offences.

A judge sentenced him to five years in prison after he was found guilty of arranging and facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence.

Detective Inspector Andy Buckthorpe of NWROCU said: Ian Watson was a significant risk to children and were extremely glad that our investigation has stopped him from being able to act on his abusive intentions.

Here at the NWROCU were committed to protecting children from sexual exploitation. Law enforcement operates across the internet and we're committed to ensuring those who use this means of communicating with those believe to be children to arrange sexual abuse are brought before the courts to face justice."

I would urge anyone who has been a victim of child abuse, or thinks a child is being abused, to contact police immediately on 101, where a report can be made in confidence.

Detective Sergeant Rob Deponeo, from Merseyside Police said: Offenders often think that the internet will offer them complete anonymity to commit offences, but, as todays sentence shows that this is not the case.

Merseyside Police has specialist officers working tirelessly in partnership with other agencies such as the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit to identify offenders, no matter where they live or what devices they use.

"A huge amount of work is done by law enforcement agencies throughout the world to identify offenders, infiltrate their networks and uncover the evidence we need to put them behind bars and ensure that suitable safeguarding measures are put in place.

We work with other UK forces, agencies and CEOP (the Child Exploitation Online Protection centre), as well as agencies in other countries who share our desire and determination to protect children from depraved and dangerous offenders such as Watson.

"We will use every tactic and technological advancement available to ensure people cannot and do not get away with the terrible crimes they have committed.

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A "despicable" rapist who forced his victim to go through her ordeal again in court was handed a lengthy jail sentence.

Lee Cunliffe, 37, appeared before Liverpool Crown Court to be sentenced on charges including three counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and false imprisonment.

After denying the charges, Cunliffe was found guilty following a trial on Wednesday, November 10.

Now Cunliffe, of St Helens, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison, plus five on extended licence.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Yoseph Al-Ramadhan said: We share the victims relief and satisfaction that Cunliffe has been dealt with by the courts.

While no sentence can repair the pain and suffering Cunliffe has caused to his victim, I hope that he will reflect on his despicable actions while behind bars.

By denying the offences, he has put his victim through the additional pain of being forced to relive her ordeal through his trial and it is pleasing to know he has been jailed for a long time.

I would like to pay tribute to the strength and bravery shown by the victim in coming forward to provide evidence against Cunliffe so that justice could be served.

"To be a victim of such offences, and then go through the additional stress of a court case, is extremely tough and she will continue to be supported by specially trained officers."

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A female paedophile who raped a young girl and shared images of the abuse online has admitted 34 charges in court.

Vicki Bevan, 37, repeatedly sexually assaulted the child under 13, who cannot be identified, and on some occasions carried out the perverted attacks alongside Paul Rafferty, 62, and a second man, 42-year-old Tony Hutton.

The abuse was filmed and photographed which ultimately led to the arrests of all three.

They had been set to stand trial in April, but the two men entered guilty pleas to a string of sexual offences earlier this month.

Bevan, of St Helens, Merseyside, cried as she appeared at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday via video link from HMP Styal and pleaded guilty to 34 sexual offences, including one count of rape and five counts of assault by penetration.

Bevan also pleaded guilty to 17 counts of making an indecent image of a child, with two of these counts made up of 52 Category A and 42 Category B images.

She also admitted two counts of possessing extreme pornography, relating to 100 'grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise obscene' animal porn images.

The rape, one count of penetration and another of sexual assault on a child under 13 were carried out jointly with Rafferty, of St Helens.

A count of sexual assault involved Bevan and Hutton, also of St Helens, both performing a sex act on the victim

Jonathan Duffy, defending Bevan, yesterday said the two co-accused would be sentenced on March 25 this year and asked that Bevan be sentenced on the same date.

He said: 'Steps are currently in place for her to be seen by a psychiatrist. It's likely there will be a psychiatric report served in due course.'

Martine Snowdon, prosecuting, said pre-sentence reports had already been ordered on behalf of Rafferty and Hutton.

Judge Andrew Menary QC, Honorary Recorder of Liverpool, said he would also require a pre-sentence report from the Probation Service on Bevan.

Judge Menary directed that the report must consider exclusively 'the issue of dangerousness' - whether Bevan is a dangerous offender, as defined by law.

If the three paedophiles are found to be dangerous offenders, then they may receive extended sentences of at least two thirds - rather than half - of their custodial term behind bars.

He told Bevan she would now be subject to interim requirements of the Sex Offenders Register.

Bevan sobbed as Judge Menary remanded her in custody ahead of sentencing on March 25.