Latest Offenders Warrington

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THE taxpayer was put to unnecessary expense by a man who claimed hackers had put child sex abuse images on his devices.

But Aaron McHugh had the good sense to retract his not guilty pleas and admit his guilt, before being sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.

Cheshire Police received information in April last year that an ‘xmaker2014’ Gmail address had uploaded suspected indecent images of children to a Dropbox account, explained Alaric Walmsley, prosecuting.

This email address was attributed to McHugh, who was arrested on April 6 by officers who searched his home.

They came across an iPhone and a laptop, with both submitted for a forensic analysis.

Following the search of his home, the defendant was interviewed by officers in the presence of his mother and a solicitor.

Here, he read from a prepared statement which declared that he had no knowledge of the images, and that he would be answering ‘no comment’ to all other questions, which he did.

Following an examination, authorities confirmed that incident material of children was found on both electronic devices.

In total, there were 39 images of children being sexually abused, 10 of which were graded in category A – the most severe category involving child rape – while 20 were category B and nine were category C.

On the iPhone, experts found three images at category C level in a Snapchat folder, but the court heard that these were inaccessible without sophisticated software.

More images were found in the cache of a Discord app, which were again inaccessible, but referenced sexual activity involving a 13-year-old child.

The court heard how the dates involved in possessing the material spanned back to May 2016, when now-21-year-old McHugh was aged just 15.

Following the examination, the defendant was interviewed again on December 11 last year, where he ‘exercised his right to remain silent’.

But he was subsequently charged with three counts of making indecent images of children by downloading them and one of possessing a prohibited image of a child.

He initially denied the offences before Warrington Magistrates’ Court and the case was sent to the crown court for trial, after he claimed that his devices had been ‘hacked’.

A trial date was set for February next year, but in August he changed his pleas to guilty on all counts.

Mr Walmsley revealed that McHugh has no previous convictions, cautions or warnings on his record.

In mitigation, defence barrister Carmel Wilde said: “This is a young man who has never been before the court before.

“The offences were committed between the ages of 15 and 20, against a backdrop of being mentally abused by his stepfather.

“He was associating with the wrong crowd and was the victim of bullying throughout secondary school. He was in a wrong place, a dark place.”

It was said that with this ‘wrong crowd’, he was abusing nitrous oxide in balloons and cannabis ‘laced with goodness knows what’.

She said that her client is working in a bar in Warrington and needs to address the underlying issues in his offending, which he would be willing to do through a court order.

Before sentencing, judge Ian Harris said: “The offences are serious as, without members of the public willing to make images and distribute them, there would be no market for the indefensible abuse of children.

“Without people like you, there would be no market for this toxic trade. On a daily basis, children are being abused to feed businesses trading in this dreadful abuse.”

Judge Harris accepted ‘no doubt’ that the defendant’s background ‘had an impact on his offending behaviour’.

“The case crosses the custody threshold, but given the mitigation, I believe in trying to assist you in staying out of trouble instead of sending you to custody,” he added.

McHugh, of Robson Grove in Fairfield, was handed a two-year community order, including 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days, the Building Choices programme and 150 hours of unpaid work.

He was also told he must sign the sex offender register and abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order, both for the next five years.

In addition, orders were approved to deprive the defendant of his laptop and iPhone.

On McHugh’s initial denial of the offences, Judge Harris commented: “You initially pleaded not guilty and claimed that your computer had been hacked.

“You put the prosecution to unnecessary expense because of your failure to admit these matters in the lower court, so there will be a costs order.”

Despite an application by the prosecution for court costs in excess of £1,000, the defendant was ordered to repay £500.

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A sex offender has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison after admitting serious sexual offences against women in West Yorkshire.

Anthony Pilling (43) from Lymm in Warrington was jailed for 24 years at Leeds Crown Court on Monday ( 21st October) after pleading guilty to four offences of rape. 

The 43-year-old admitting three rape offences committed against a woman in Kirklees in July 2024.

He also pleaded guilty to an offence of rape committed against a woman in Calderdale in 2021.

Pilling had pleaded guilty to the offences in an earlier hearing at Leeds Crown Court.

The court heard Pilling had attacked both women in their own homes.

PC Alexandra Oldham of the Kirklees District Adult Safeguarding Unit, said: “We welcome the conviction of Pilling for shocking offences against two women in the very places where they should have expected to have felt safe.

“This substantial 24-year sentence reflects both the seriousness of the offences he committed and the devastating and long-lasting impact those offences had on his victims.

“I hope they can take some comfort from the sentence imposed on Pilling and knowing this dangerous, predatory, man will be off our streets for many years to come.” 

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A SICK pervert thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl in a park, but instead he was detained by a paedophile hunting group run by Widnes residents.

Steven Smith was talking to a number of teenage ‘girls’, telling them he would like to kiss, cuddle, and date them, before he was caught by Widnes Parents Against Predators.

He even encouraged them to perform sex acts on themselves.

The 52-year-old dad appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to a catalogue of child sex offences, including three counts of attempted sexual communication with a child, two counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, arranging the commission of a child sex offence, possessing indecent images of children and making indecent images of children.

Prosecuting, Shannon Stewart said how Smith’s offending came to light in May of last year when officers were notified by members of Widnes Parents Against Predators that they had detained a man who had arranged to meet who he thought was 14-year-old girl at a park in Cronton.

Smith, of Rylands Drive, Orford, was arrested and when officers seized his devices, they discovered he had been talking to a number of young ‘girls’ online.

Ms Stewart said how one of girls was called Imogen but officers have not been able to identify if she was a real child or a decoy.

Liverpool Crown Court was told how Imogen told the defendant that she was 14 and despite this, he turned the nature of the conversation sexual.

He asked for pictures of Imogen and encouraged her to perform sex acts on herself.

Smith told her that he wanted to watch TV, eat curry, and snuggle with her.

He asked her if she would like to kiss him and said that this would be ‘special’ and ‘feel electric’.

The court heard how Smith told Imogen that he may have got her a gift for her 15th birthday because he ‘liked her’.

This communication lasted from April 2022 to December 2022 and only stopped when Imogen stopped responding.

Another 14-year-old ‘girl’ who Smith believed he was talking to was called Molly, but this was actually a decoy account operated by Widnes Parents Against Predators.

Smith first contacted Molly in April 2023. She told him she was 14 and he said that was fine before calling her stunning and asking her to send a picture of herself.

The paedophile asked Molly about meeting up and suggested they should go for a walk and kiss and cuddle.

He said that although she was too young for sex, he would like to caress her and run his hands over her body.

Ms Stewart said how Smith also encouraged Molly to perform sex ats on herself.

In May 2023, Smith told Molly that he was working in St Helens and that he could come and meet her, so the pair arranged to meet at a park in Cronton.

But here, Smith was met by the paedophile hunting group and was detained.

From March 2023 to May 2023, Smith was talking to another decoy account which was posing as a 14-year-old girl called Megan.

Megan told Smith her age and said she was in school.

Smith sexualised the conversation and said he would like to have a curry with Megan and get a kiss from her for his birthday.

He said they could go on a date to McDonald’s and asked if he met her would she wear a skirt.

Smith asked Megan to send a picture of her bed and when she did he said it was big and that there would be room in it for kisses and cuddles.

He also sent voice notes, in one he said they could go for a walk in a park and that he would kiss her and grab her bottom.

Smith has no previous convictions.

Defending, Jim Smith said how his client has a ‘high level of regret’ for the commission of the offences.

He said that since his arrest, Smith has carried out extensive work to rehabilitate himself including self referring himself for psychological therapy and attending sex addicts anonymous – where he has now become a sponsor.

Mr Smith said how the defendant suffers from anxiety and depression and that he has lost his marriage, career, and home since he committed the offences.

Judge David Potter handed Smith three years and four months behind bars.

He also issued him with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered him to sign the sex offenders register.

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A sex offender prisoner told his cellmate he 'wanted him to feel like his victims felt' before raping him. Rahmijah Hindes was locked up at HMP Risley, in Warrington, after sexually assaulting a teenage girl who was walking home from a chip shop.

The 24-year-old was only months away from ending his time behind bars. But after becoming disgruntled about sharing a room with another man, Hindes told his cellmate to pull his trousers down before raping him, Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday (September 2).

The court heard Hindes, of no fixed address, had 'taken an illicit substance' before he carried out the attack on his fellow prisoner. The complainant in his latest offence was serving time in relation to indecent images of children, the Liverpool Echo reports.

Simon Christie, prosecuting, described how both men had been transferred to HMP Risley and were sharing a cell overnight on a wing for vulnerable prisoners. Hindes told the inmate he 'wanted him to feel like his victims felt', pushed him onto the bottom bunk bed, told him to take his trousers down and raped him.

He then retired to his own bed and went to sleep. The victim reported the incident to members of prison staff the following morning. When arrested, Hindes denied that any sexual activity had taken place.

But his DNA was subsequently discovered on intimate swabs which had been taken from the other prisoner. This led to him being re-arrested, at which point he changed his account and said that they had engaged in consensual sex.

Hindes has a total of 15 previous convictions for 23 offences. HIs criminal record includes two years in a young offenders' institute for robbery and possession of a bladed article in a public place in 2016.

He was serving time after following a 17-year-old girl who was walking home from a Garston chippy. He pushed her to the ground and forced his hands down her shorts before he ran away when she screamed for help.

Phillip Tully, defending, told the court: "Both men had been ordered by the prison to share a cell overnight. This is not a case where Mr Hindes engineered a setting where he was alone with the complainant to be able to commit the offence.

"Mr Hindes was unhappy about having to share a cell, and then he says the offence was committed. He accepts, through me, that this would have been a very unpleasant and frightening incident for the complainant.

"To his credit, it is quite clear that he has shown remorse and insight into the impact that this would have had upon the complainant in this case. He is still a very young man who has experienced a very difficult childhood and upbringing.

"It appears that they had been moved prisons. He was expecting to be on his own and he found it a very stressful situation. He took a very foolish and stupid decision to commit this offence in relation to the person in the cell with him.

"Even though he had an extremely difficult childhood, he went to school and obtained qualifications and had a work record. He is also someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, depression and anxiety - a young man who has had to cope with all of these things himself in his very short life."

Hindes admitted one count of rape. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for six years and three months - of which he must serve at least two thirds behind bars before becoming eligible for release - and handed an additional five years on licence.

Sentencing, Judge Katherine Pierpoint said: "The emotional impact on him has been immense. He has been left feeling wary, anxious and frightened. He has suffered from nightmares. You focussed that evening more on your own satisfaction than caring at all for him. While you now show insight and remorse, you did not show any that night at all.

"Of particular significance in this case is the conviction you have in relation to the offences of assault and sexual assault. You took advantage of this man who was in a vulnerable position, locked in a cell with you. He felt intimidated by you.

"In my judgement, there is an escalation in this case in the seriousness of offending. You were focussed on satisfying your own needs and lacked self control. It is particularly concerning that, despite the fact that you have carried out sex offender treatment programmes, you still went on to offend in a sexual way that evening."

Hindes was also handed an indefinite restraining order. He will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

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A CREEP from Great Sankey who sexually assaulted a woman in her sleep claimed it was an accident has been jailed.

Lewis Williams, of Reaper Close, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to sexual assault and sending threatening messages.

Prosecuting, Dave Watson told the court that the victim, who cannot be named or identified by law, woke up to Williams sexually assaulting her.

The 25-year-old defendant was confronted by the complainant and ‘jumped up in shock’.

Williams accepted what had happened, the court heard, but after the offence, he began to send texts and voice notes to her.

One voice message saw him refer to the victim as a ‘little b***h’.

Despite previously admitting to the assault, the court heard that Williams went on to deny the offence by saying that he had been asleep and that she must have ‘pushed against him’.

The victim contacted Cheshire Police, and Williams was arrested.

In his police interview, the court heard that Williams continued to deny the offence and claim it had happened in his sleep.

An impact statement was read out to the court in which the victim told the court that the assault has had an impact on her mental health.

“He was making me out to be a liar and said it was an accident, when it was not,” she said.

Williams, who appeared in court late as he was in a Wetherspoon pub, was sentenced by judge Andrew Murray to 27 months immediate imprisonment.

A restraining order has been put in place for five years, and Williams was ordered to sign the sex offender register for ten years.

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A PERVERT arranged to meet up with a ’13-year-old girl’ for sexual activity – but he was shocked when he found out who actually turned up at his home.

George Brusby was in fact having sick sex chats online with an adult member of a paedophile hunter group pretending to be a vulnerable teenage child.

The 26-year-old was confronted by the group and ended up being live-streamed online before being arrested and taken away in a police van.

He has now been locked up after admitting charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

He was sentenced yesterday, Tuesday, at Liverpool Crown Court, despite turning up almost three hours late after claiming he missed his train due to suffering from a panic attack.

Opening the case, prosecutor Carmel Wilde spoke of how his offending came to light in chats with an adult from a paedophile hunter group named Elusive Child Protection Unit.

Members try to identify adults who talk to children online for sexual gratification, the court heard, with a group member operating a decoy profile on a dating site called Jaomo.

The adult purported to be a 13-year-old girl named Abbie, whose profile claimed to be 22 to meet age restrictions, but she made it clear from the outset in messages that she was in fact aged 13.

On January 7, 2023, ‘Abbie’ received a message from the defendant which read: “Hi there beautiful, can I just say you look absolutely stunning.”

There was a gap in chats, with the decoy engaged in other discussions with online child sex offenders, but she replied with ‘hiya’ on January 21.

Conversations continued on a daily basis in February, with Abbie making it clear early that she was only 13 years of age, with Brusby undeterred, telling her that he was former military, aged 25 and from Warrington.

They exchanged phone numbers so that chats could continue on WhatsApp, and by February 15, the pair exchanged photos, one of which was of his penis saying she could ‘play with it’.

When Brusby asked the ‘girl’ if she liked what she saw, she said she did not know him yet, to which he replied: “I promise I’m not a bad person.”

The court heard how Brusby had a setting applied which meant that messages auto-deleted, but the decoy was saving them by screenshotting them.

By February 23, discussions turned to meeting up at Brusby’s Warrington home, suggested by him, with a date set for February 26 as he was ‘babysitting’ on the days prior.

He said she could ‘hold her first d**k’, and on the day of the meet-up he sent her his address, asking her to message him when she had got in a taxi from the train station.

However, the decoy had informed other paedophile hunters, the founders of the Elusive Child Protection Unit, of the meet-up, who attended the defendant’s home address to confront him.

The confrontation and interrogation was live-streamed online, before police arrived, arrested the defendant and placed him in the back of a police van.

Brusby was interviewed by police and initially said he was ‘fed up of fake accounts being made up’, and then claimed that he thought he was talking to an adult.

The interview then had a short break, and when they resumed, the defendant answered ‘no comment’ to questions put to him.

Brusby was represented by Mark Pritchard, defending, who highlighted how his client should be afforded full credit for his guilty pleas, and the fact that the ‘child’ was not real.

“There is real remorse from this defendant and an insight into his offending,” the barrister said, adding that Brusby has no previous convictions.

It was said that he spent time in the armed forces but was ‘rudderless’ afterwards and found it difficult to form relationships or find employment, leading to him consuming a significant amount of alcohol.

The court also heard that the defendant received threats following the paedophile hunter group streaming his interrogation on social media.

“The defendant is the author of his own misfortune, but the criminal justice system does not rely on vigilantism, and no one should be subjected to shame and bear baiting, and bullying for 47 minutes,” Mr Pritchard said.

He urged the court to suspend the sentence so that Brusby could get assistance with his rehabilitation, but this was rejected by judge Katherine Pierpoint.

She said: “It is a great shame to find someone like you before the court facing such serious matters, having never been in trouble before.

“You told the author of your pre-sentence report that you do not have a sexual interest in children, but in my judgement, you clearly have a sexual interest in children.

“Such behaviour has a devastating and long-lasting impact on children, and the fact that no real child was harmed in this case is a matter of chance rather than design.

“You made arrangements to meet a person you thought was a child. This was not hopeful, but actual that came to fruition.

“The only reason you did not meet up was because this was a decoy.”

Brusby, of Cavendish Close in Old Hall, was sentenced to 27 months immediate imprisonment.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offender register and comply with a sexual harm prevention order, both for the next 10 years.

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A VOYEUR pervert took photos under toilet doors of men urinating in public toilets in Warrington.

Axel Savage also snapped adult men performing sex acts on themselves in the toilet block.

These were found after police received intelligence that the 30-year-old was sharing vile images of children being sexually abused.

He was subsequently charged with voyeurism, possessing indecent images of children, two counts of making them and four of distributing them.

At his sentencing hearing at Liverpool Crown Court this morning, Wednesday, prosecutor Kenneth Grant informed the court how Cheshire Police received information that an email address attributed to the defendant was associated with a Snapchat account.

This account was being used to upload category A – the most severe category involving child rape – indecent images of children in September 2022.

The IP address was associated with the account of Savage, and following police enquiries, officers attended his home address after being granted a warrant.

A number of electronic devices were seized from the property, including the defendant’s mobile phone, and he was interviewed that same day, answering no comment to questions put to him.

He did however provide his pin code and passwords, with a forensic examination of the devices revealing the presence of indecent images of children.

In total, Savage admitted being in possession of nine sickening images, of which two were graded category A and seven classed as category B.

It was found that two images were distributed multiple times using WhatsApp between the defendant and his partner.

The search also found 282 photos taken in a public toilet in the town, the location of which was not disclosed in court, but taken on two dates between January 30 and February 3 last year.

They involved adult men urinating in the toilet, taken above and under doors, while others were of them performing sex acts on themselves in the toilet block.

Savage was interviewed again by police in relation to the voyeurism material and again answered no comment to all questions put to him.

Offering mitigation on behalf of his client, Jim Smith spoke of how a number of glowing references had been prepared by his family and partner, who was there to support him in the courtroom, as well as a letter written by himself to the court.

“He knows what he did is illegal, he is ashamed of what he is done, and he knows it has put him at risk of an immediate custodial sentence, Mr Smith said.

He highlighted how this was an ‘unusual’ distribution case as it was in a ‘closed circuit intended only for the eyes of his partner’.

“This does not minimise the impact of that which perpetuates misery for countless individuals who suffer from exploitation,” Mr Smith added.

“This is a gentleman with no previous convictions, and character references speak of someone who is kind, hard-working, friendly, loving and supportive of family members.

He added that the defendant works in the pharmaceutical industry, provides value to the community, is capable of rehabilitation and will not reoffend.

Referencing the indecent images of children, judge David Swinnerton said: “Those who view such images rarely stop to think about that they represent. Each one reflects a child being abused.

“People like you that look at them perpetuate a market in them, such that people are encouraged to create such images, and encouraged to abuse children in the real world somewhere.

“That is why they are taken seriously and are not just pictures. It is made worse for you because you distributed them.

“It is general practice that those who distribute them go to prison, as it extends the market for such images.”

On the voyeurism images, Judge Swinnerton commented: “The court is not naïve as to what goes on in certain toilet blocks, but they are public toilets.

“Anyone could have gone in there, and ordinary members of the public are entitled to use the facility without fear of being photographed, despite what other people are doing in there.”

He concluded: “The real question is whether or not I am prepared to suspend the sentence.

“Do be aware that ordinarily I do not suspend the sentence for those who distribute this type of material, but I have already commented how your case is different.

“Taking into account everything else I have heard about you, I can and will suspend the sentence.

Savage, of Fordington Road in Hood Manor, was sentenced to 20 months in prison suspended for two years.

He must also complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days, including the Horizon sex offence treatment programme, and 150 hours of unpaid work.

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

Judge Swinnerton approved an order to deprive the defendant of the electronic devices seized when police executed a warrant at his home.

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A DRUNK who pleaded with her neighbour to sleep with her in the street and grabbed him by the hips as he collected his food shopping delivery has been jailed.

Alison Haughton, 54, was making a commotion in the street when the victim of the sexual assault came out of his address to see her attempting to climb into the vehicle that was delivering his food.

Michael O’Kane, prosecuting for the hearing, said the offence took place on May 6 outside an address in Orford.

He told Warrington Magistrates Court on Wednesday how the neighbour had been alerted to the incident on the street when he was inside his home, hearing the sounds of ‘shouting and swearing’ and glass being ‘smashed against the wall’.

“Him and his partner had been inside the address, and he went out to get his food from the driver and noticed the defendant was trying to enter the vehicle by opening the door,” Mr O’Kane said.

The neighbour shouted ‘what are you doing’ at the defendant who looked at him and suddenly ‘shrieked’ with excitement as if she was happy to see him.

Haughton went over to the man and grabbed him by the hips before saying ‘give me a kiss’.

He replied saying ‘Alison stop’, but her sexual references continued, and it was heard that she grabbed his t-shirt and tried to pull him back towards her.

She said: “If you want me to let go you need to give me a kiss.”

In a bid to create some distance between himself and Haughton, the victim retreated to his address, the court heard.

However, the defendant followed and began pushing against his door trying to enter the property.

He questioned her behaviour, asking ‘what are you doing’, to which Haughton replied, ‘I just love you, but you won’t sh*g me’.

Mr O’Kane added that the defendant continued to ‘suggest that they have sex’ before leaving to sit on a wall where she began to cry.

The dialogue continued between the pair, with the offender stating that she ‘just wanted to walk in a straight line, like a line of cocaine’.

In a police interview following the sexual assault, the victim told officers he thought Haughton was suffering with her mental health at the time of the incident.

“He said the sexual comments were completely unwanted. He said there was another incident where she had made sexual comments towards him,” the prosecutor explained.

Haughton was also being sentenced for three further charges of assaulting an emergency worker and criminal damage.

These offences took place on January 2 this year, when the defendant was on bail and staying over at the Patten Arms Hotel on Parker Street in Warrington town centre.

Police officers had been called to the address after staff had made a 999 call, stating that Haughton had been ‘abusive’ and had caused damage to a fire alarm on the premises.

Mr O’Kane told the court that officer PC Hand had attended the hotel and went into the defendant’s room, noticing two bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey on the side as he walked in.

Haughton was slurring her words, the officer recalled, and he told her she had to leave the premises.

She refused to leave, saying to the officer, ‘I am 53, you are a kid’ before telling him he could ‘have the lot’ referring to her two bottles of whiskey, which she proceeded to pour down the sink.

“She slapped the officer on the left arm. She leant into the double bed and kicked the officer in the chest,” the prosecutor added.

The defendant fell to the floor but continued to hit and kick out at the officer.

He picked her up and placed her onto the bed, where she then propositioned him, asking ‘do you want to have sex?’.

She continued to be abusive to PC Hand and PC Davy, the officer that accompanied him, calling them d*ck heads and pr*cks.

PC Davy then tried to detain Haughton, leading to her attempting to bite him.

She was eventually arrested and taken to the police station.

The damage she caused to the fire alarm amounted to the sum of £153.60.

Haughton denied all charges but was convicted following a trial.

Her defence, Simon Dunn, explained to the magistrate’s bench that prior to 2023, his client had a clear record of no offending, but following a ‘difficult divorce’ began to have a problem with alcohol abuse which led to the beginning of her offending.

Offences over the last year have included criminal damage, threatening behaviour and the assault of an emergency worker.

Haughton appeared before the courts on a CVP link from HMP Styal, where she had been remanded for five weeks prior. She had to be muted due to comments made during the hearing.

Concluding the hearing, chair of the bench, Sandra Jane Verity, sentenced the defendant to a total of 38 weeks in prison for the offences of common assault, assault by beating and sexual assault.

She will have to pay a victim surcharge of £187 and was ordered to report to a police station upon her release to sign onto the sex offender register for 12 months.

A seven-year restraining order was put in place restricting her from making contact with the victim.

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A CONVICTED flasher flew to Portugal because he thought his sex offender order had expired.

He appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court last week charged with failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders register, after misunderstanding when it was due to end.

Gregory Coleman, of Wilderspool Causeway in Warrington, was placed on the sex offenders register in November 2020 after he was caught walking down a street in Widnes while performing a sex act before boarding a train.

Part of the conditions of being placed on the register included informing police of the details of his passport and notifying them a week before intending to travel abroad.

Coleman, 53, broke both requirements after travelling to Portugal with his elderly mother at the beginning of the year.

On February 11, Coleman called police to ask when he was going to be taken off the register and was told that he still needed to comply with the requirements until January next year.

The prosecution for the case, Mrs McGowan, told the court that police were informed that Coleman had arrived at Manchester Airport on a flight from Lisbon on February 6, after having been there for a week.

Defending, Mr Schooler said that Coleman, who suffers with mental health issues, believed that the requirement to notify police had expired in January of this year.

Coleman travelled to Portugal with his mother, who lived abroad in a religious community for seven months last year, to see where she was going to stay and who with.

After flying out and staying there for a week before returning, Coleman believed he had not breached the order as he was not stopped leaving or re-entering the country.

But on February 16, police called the 53-year-old and asked him if he had been away, which he had confessed he had and was reminded that he needed to notify them of his foreign travel until January of next year.

Coleman, who has no previous breaches of the order, was not interviewed by police and pleaded guilty.

He was sentenced to 18 months community order with up to 30 rehabilitation days, as well as a six-month mental health treatment requirement and a £120 fine.

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A PERVERT who twice engaged in sexual activity with a child in the back of his car has been locked up.

Paul Lawrinson gave the schoolboy vapes and £50 in exchange for explicit acts – which constituted rape and sexual assault due to the child’s age.

The 50-year-old appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced, having admitted rape of a child under the age of 13 and sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 at a previous hearing.

Rebecca Smith, prosecuting the case, told the court that Cheshire Police received a report from a safeguarding team regarding concerns regarding a child’s reported sexual activity with an adult male.

The child, who must not be identified by law, had previously set up an account on the Grindr social media network, claiming to be an 18-year-old man ‘looking for fun’.

Lawrinson and the boy began to message each other, initially normal chat, before the conversation quickly became sexual in nature, such as what they would do with one another and if they could meet up for sexual activity.

Arrangements were made for a meet-up in Sankey Valley Park, with this leading to the events of the rape charge.

The boy made his way to Lawrinson’s vehicle and was told to sit in the back, where he was joined by the defendant.

There was more small talk before discussion of sexual activity, with the defendant requesting that the boy perform a sex act on him, which he did.

When speaking to police officers, the boy said this made him ‘slightly uncomfortable’ and feel that he could not leave, but the court heard there was no suggestion that Lawrinson made him stay.

Following the sexual activity, the defendant paid the boy £50 and he left, but conversations continued online about sexual activity and if they could meet up again.

Another arrangement to meet was made for the following day, with there being a discussion of the defendant providing the boy with a ‘reward or present’.

Lawrinson brought up in discussions the complainant’s actual age, with the boy untruthfully telling him he was 16 and not 18.

When they met up in the same location, what unfolded was encapsulated in the sexual assault charge.

The boy decided he was not going to perform any sexual activity with the defendant, and he said no when the defendant asked.

He did however say that he would be prepared to kiss, and the pair did so, and the boy did touch the defendant in a sexual manner over clothing after encouragement from Lawrinson.

In exchange, the defendant gave the boy some vapes before they both parted ways.

When a family member came across messages between the complainant and defendant, the authorities were involved.

Items of the complainant’s clothing were also submitted for analysis, and samples were later found to match that of Lawrinson.

He was arrested on March 13 this year in the car park of Birchwood Forest Park and mobile phones belonging to him were seized.

When arrested, Lawrinson said to officers: “It all makes sense now. He said he was 18, then 16. I said he looked young. I got scared.”

A forensic download of his mobile phone retrieved the messages exchanged, as well as the defendant’s Grindr profile, which showed he sought ‘chav, scally, footie, sporty, slim types under 25’ and said he was ‘happy to reward’.

During his police interview, Lawrinson answered ‘no comment’ to questions put to him.

The court heard an impact statement prepared by the complainant in which he said: “The whole situation has really affected my day-to-day life and wellbeing.

“Since the incident, I have relived the day and moment. Constant reminders of what happened lead me to frequent breakdowns. I just want to scream and cry for peace for five minutes.

“I am a different and snappy person as a result, and I feel I am making it hard for my family to live normally.

“My social life is reduced and I am rarely going out, alone in my bedroom a lot. I just want to be a kid, that is all I want. No kid should ever have to go through this.”

Ms Smith told the court that there was an element of ‘grooming behaviour’, with the nature of the charge meaning the defendant must be classed as an ‘offender of particular concern’.

In mitigating for the defendant, Jeremy Rawson referenced his lack of any previous convictions and how he is a ‘man of impeccable, absolute good character’.

“It is a dreadful shame that he became involved in this particular type of activity,” he said.

“He will regret that for the rest of his life, not just for what he will suffer, but the effect on the young man concerned as well.

“He wished that never happened, and he understands the pain and suffering the young man must be feeling, and how his family must be feeling.

“There is remorse and regret. He bitterly regrets what has happened to this young man.

“He is a man who has always been in work and was in a good relationship.

“It is a terribly sad thing to see a man of his age and respectability sitting where he is, knowing there will be a long sentence of imprisonment.”

Before sentencing, recorder Tania Griffiths said: “You do not need me to tell you how exceptionally serious these offences are.

“You were aware that he was young as you said he told you he was 16, not 18, and even then, you quite rightly queried that age as he was much younger than that.

“The victim personal statement is extremely sad. It speaks of how life has changed for this boy, and one can imagine how he feels. That is all down to you.

“Can you imagine how difficult life is for him on a daily basis? He has got to walk that gauntlet every day. What you did to him will stay with him. He was a young boy.

“You had the benefit of a good upbringing. It is inexplicable why you carried out these offences. You knew he was young, and yet you carried on.”

Lawrinson, of Gainsborough Road, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison, of which he will serve two-thirds before he can apply to the parole boards for an early release.

If he is not considered rehabilitated and this is refused, he must serve the full term, and after his release, he must spend a further year on extended licence.

The court also ordered him to sign the sex offender register for life and abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order and restraining order, both for the next 20 years.

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Riccardo Gargiulo, of Orford, has been given a THIRD chance, having been spared jail twice before including after he was caught with almost three million depraved images of child sex abuse.

The 55-year-old has again been caught possessing such vile images, and he also engaged in sex chats under an online pseudonym without informing the authorities, which he is banned from doing.

Despite police knowing about all this, there was an unexplained 17-month delay before the case was presented for the defendant to be charged meaning a judge felt a suspended sentence was appropriate punishment.

Gargiulo appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday to be sentenced on charges of possessing indecent images of children and two counts of making them.

He also breached his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and his sex offender registry requirements, with both having been imposed on him for previous relevant offending.

Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, explained how in November 2021, Cheshire Police received intelligence from the National Crime Agency linked to the defendants home address in Warrington.

A warrant was executed on April 5, 2022, and during a search of the property, officers seized 12 electronic devices, which were sent away for analysis.

A report was produced on September 24 that year detailing how 11 of the devices did not contain any incriminating material.

However, a black Asus Nexus tablet computer was found to contain 15 indecent images of children.

Three of them, showing girls aged between 11 and 14, were graded as category A the most severe grading involving child rape.

The remaining 12 were judged to be category C, but these involved girls as young as 10 years of age.

Gargiulo has two previous convictions for seven offences, the first of which saw him sentenced to 10 months in prison suspended for two years in September 2018.

This came after he was caught with nearly three million indecent images of children as part of an extensive collection, involving children aged as young as nine and amassed over a period of five years.

Police had previously raided his home in August 2017, with a laptop and hard drives seized from the property.

Officers were unable to analyse all of the 2.9million images found due to the sheer number, and instead looked at a sample.

Gargiulo, described as an isolated and lonely man, had also bookmarked a Russian website well-known for containing indecent images of children on his internet browser.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offender register for 10 years and abide by the terms of a SHPO for the same period of time.

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A paedophile told the police that he watched videos of kids aged as young as three being raped because it was "a lift and a release".

Michael Swann downloaded thousands of indecent images over the course of around 15 years in order to feed his "insatiable, deviant and depraved interest in children". The three-time convicted sex offender also secretly filmed young girls naked and in their underwear.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the 55-year-old's home on Lockerbie Close in Warrington was raided by police on the morning of March 3 last year. Officers seized several electronic items from the property including five computers, six memory sticks, two hard drives, an SD card and a mobile phone.

Zahra Baqri, prosecuting, described how a "vast collection" of 7,532 indecent images of children was discovered on these devices. Of these, 334 pictures and 821 videos were graded as being in category A - those showing the most serious form of abuse, including a clip of a girl aged between three and four being raped.

A further 879 photographs and 326 films in category B were also discovered, as were 5,023 pictures and 74 videos in category C. Swann was meanwhile found to have recorded 34 category C images of girls in states of undress.

He was shown to have been downloading his vile stash since July 2008, including collecting 2,950 "cartoon depictions" of children engaged in sex acts. More than a million further images had been saved on his devices, but it is unknown whether any of these were illegal materials as they were not assessed due to their sheer quantity.

Under interview, Swann "admitted having a sexual interest in children and obtaining sexual gratification while searching for and finding indecent images". He also told detectives that he "found viewing such images as a lift and a release".

The pervert meanwhile stated that the girls were "unaware they were being filmed and photographed" while in their underwear and naked. In a statement which was read out to the court on her behalf, their mum said she had been left "shell shocked" and "broken" after he "preyed on" her children.

During a second round of questioning in December last year after the contents of his electronics had been analysed, Swann added that he "knew what he was doing was wrong but he was too frightened to ask for help". He has a total of seven previous convictions for 22 offences, including receiving nine months for possessing and making indecent images in 2003 and a community order for like offending in 2004 - an order which he was later locked up for five months for breaching.

Helen Chenary, defending, told the court: "He readily accepts that he has issues with this kind of behaviour. It is troubling.

"This is not a man coming before the courts for the first time in connection with these offences, yet he is still struggling. He accepts that he was given an opportunity almost 20 years ago now.

"He would very much like assistance, but he knows that option is unlikely to be available. He makes nothing but apologies for his behaviour, but he knows he needs help.

"It appears he has struggled for some time with both his deviance and a general feeling of being overwhelmed and struggling to cope. He made a very serious attempt on his own life.

"He accepts that he has squandered help on a number of occasions. He has had a difficult few years."

Swann admitted taking indecent images, possession of indecent images, possession of prohibited images and three counts of making indecent images. He was jailed for five years on Monday.

Sentencing, Judge David Aubrey KC said: "There is a constant pattern of a sexual preoccupation with accessing indecent images. In my judgement, you have an insatiable, deviant and depraved interest in young children.

"You were downloading, storing, possessing and taking such images for your own sexual gratification. All of these images you downloaded perpetuate the abuse and exploitation of young children.

"They are all victims and - by doing that which you were doing over a protracted period of time - you were not only perpetuating the abuse and exploitation of young children, it perpetuates the market. These offences also have to be assessed against the other material which was not categorised which was found on your electronic devices when the police searched your home address.

"There was in excess of a million other images that were not assessed, and thus not categorised. In my judgement, the offences to which you have pleaded guilty must be assessed not only against your previous convictions and the protracted period of time, but also assessed against the images that were not ultimately categorised because of the volume of them."

Swann was also handed a 15-year sexual harm prevention order. He will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

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A PREDATOR has been branded ‘evil’ by a person he ‘systematically’ sexually abused while they were a child and he was an adult.

Graham Simcock has been handed a custodial term of almost two decades for 145 separate incidents of historic sex offences against multiple children.

The 59-year-old laughed during one horrific incident of abuse before repeating the act straight after, with victims feeling ‘powerless’ to stop him.

He admitted 28 counts of sexual offences against children at a previous hearing, including indecent assault, gross indecency and attempted rape.

Simcock appeared back before Chester Crown Court to be sentenced, with the court hearing that some of the incidents, had they been committed today, would now be classed as rape.

The victims are entitled to lifelong anonymity by court order and must not be identified.

The facts of the case were outlined by Myles Wilson, prosecuting, who explained that the defendant ‘systematically’ sexually abused multiple children in Warrington decades ago.

He was an adult at the time, with all victims bravely attending the sentencing hearing in person, along with their families.

Detailing the offending, Mr Wilson spoke of how one victim woke to find Simcock performing a sexual act on them while they were asleep.

The defendant would reassure them that it was only a dream, ask them about the dream and ask them not to tell anyone else, ‘sugarcoating’ what happened with ‘bribes of sweets and money to keep silent.

The court heard how Simcock’s behaviour ‘grew bolder’, with him pursuing his ‘fetishes’ with the victims and telling them that if they told anyone about what he was doing, they would be in ‘as much trouble as him’.

It was said that some of the acts that he would do to the victims would constitute rape had they occurred today, with the court bound to look at the offences as they would in the time period they occurred.

After one perverted and horrific incident, which left a victim in tears and caused them to run from the room, Simcock laughed, apologised and performed the same act again.

“The defendant gave them gifts in return for sexual activity,” Mr Wilson said, adding that when one victim reported the abuse to another adult, they ‘became angry and demanded evidence’.

Another reported what had happened to an adult, but they were ‘not supported’ the matter was ‘swept under the carpet’.

The defendant would show the victims pornography while touching them inappropriately and asking for the same in return.

After performing a sex act on one of the victims, the predator said it was ‘just a bit of fun’ and told them to ‘relax’.

The court heard multiple victims attempted self-harm as a result of Simcock’s abuse, which also caused other physical and mental problems.

Simcock, who has no previous convictions, was arrested in May 2022 but answered ‘no comment’ to questions put to him during his police interview.

One victim, who suffers from sleepless nights and flashbacks, said it was ‘incredibly difficult’ to prepare an impact statement as they had ‘no point of reference other than the abuse’.

“When I started to understand what was happening, I felt completely powerless to stop it,” they wrote.

“Due to the stigma and shame, I tried to avoid as much as I could. I tried to raise it but I was told I was disgusting and that I better have proof.

“I felt worthless and that no one would do anything to stop it.”

Another, who also suffers from flashbacks, said in their impact statement that they are ‘destroyed mentally and physically’.

“From a young age, I always had pain and trauma. I was always told it was normal and that I had to keep the secret,” they said.

“I never questioned him in fear of being abused more. I felt dirty and disgusted. That man is evil, selfish and controlling.”

The victim added that the ‘sick’ defendant used them to ‘get his own kicks’, and that he now faces ‘justice for his historic, disgusting sexual desires’.

Mr Wilson stated that the defendant caused ‘severe psychological harm through grooming’ and highlighted a ‘significant disparity in age’ between him and the victims.

Mitigating on behalf of his client, Jonathan Duffy, defending, said: “I make it clear the defendant accepts that what he did was seriously wrong.

“He wants his victims to know that he acknowledges the harm he caused them and understands that while he apologises, he knows this will sound hollow.

“He wants them to know he is sorry. He also does not want me to say anything perceived as an excuse for what he has done.”

Mr Duffy highlighted that his client has ‘intellectual and learning difficulties’, but that he understands that the court must past a lengthy custodial sentence.

Before sentencing, judge Simon Berkson said: “There are a number of offences and multiple victims – 145 separate incidents of sexual offending against children.

“This is a case of a lengthy campaign of child sexual offending. You abused them over a period of time in a systematic fashion.”

He termed the abuse ‘persistent, horrific and cruel’, commenting that it had a ‘depraved and perverted theme’.

“You used and abused them for your own depraved sexual gratification. The matter was sadly swept under the carpet,” Judge Berkson continued.

“It is fair to say it has had a marked effect on the victims.

“It can only be hoped that by coming forward now and you entering guilty pleas that they may start to move forwards from the past and their lives will improve.”

Simcock, of Ryfields Retirement Village in Orford, was sentenced to 19 years and four months in prison, with a year on extended licence on his release.

In addition, he must sign the sex offender register for life and abide by indefinite restraining orders prohibiting him from contacting the victims, and he is also barred from working with children.

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A PAEDOPHILE has been put behind bars after sexually assaulting a teenager – then returning to try again.

A judge said that Dean Redmond ‘violated’ the girl to ‘satisfy his perverted desires’, before blaming the victim and ‘attempting to conceal evidence’.

The 27-year-old only came clean when scientific evidence exposed his actions, Liverpool Crown Court heard on Tuesday.

He appeared there after admitting four counts of sexual assault and possession of an offensive weapon in a private place in the form of a knuckleduster.

Frank Dillon, prosecuting, informed the court how the defendant was alone with the victim in Warrington and asked if she wanted to be treated ‘like a kid or her age’, before kissing her.

He then ‘got on top of her’ and again started to kiss and grope her, before lifting her clothing and touching her in an inappropriate, sexual and unwanted manner.

He left her alone when she said she did not want to keep going – but Redmond returned later and again tried to remove here clothing.

The victim reported the incident to an adult and the police were informed.

Officers attended his Hood Manor home and arrested him, and during a search of the address, they found a knuckleduster.

The court heard that Redmond ‘recently showered’, and that this was an ‘attempt to conceal evidence’.

He denied sexual assault, telling officers that the victim had ‘accused him of being a drug dealer’ and that if he did not leave, ‘she would say he had touched her’.

The court heard an impact statement prepared by the victim, who said she suffers ‘constant flashbacks, cannot get the incident ou of her head and does not feel herself anymore’.

“My whole life has been turned upside down. I no longer feel safe anywhere,” she said.

"My mum said she cannot remember the last time she saw me smile or laugh. I just constantly feel down.

"I have felt empty inside ever since it happened. At night when I close my eyes and when I'm awake, it's all I think about.”

Mr Dillon detailed to the court Redmond’s previous convictions, including a suspended prison sentence for being concerned in the supply of cannabis in 2015 and a fine for battery in 2018.

Defending his client, Julian Nutter, highlighted the defendant’s ‘good employment’, and the fact that the ‘inevitable’ custodial sentence will ‘destroy his capacity to support his family’.

Before sentencing, recorder Richard Pratt said: "You began a series of sexual assaults upon her by forcibly trying to kiss her.

“She sought to escape your attentions, but you were undeterred.

"I am entirely satisfied that she did not give you the slightest indication that she wanted you to touch her sexually.

“She was plainly in deep distress, and that distress has continued.

"She has, on any view, been significantly affected psychologically by your actions. It has disrupted her upbringing significantly, in my view.

"You have, in so many ways, violated her. Despite the fact that she was a child, you found her sexually attractive and wanted to satisfy your perverted desires there and then despite her age.

"To add insult to injury, you accused her of making false allegations. You persisted with that lie.

"Scientific evidence exposed your case once and for all. Only then did you own up.

“The reality is that your actions have shown very little remorse at all, trying to avoid responsibility for what you did."

Redmond, of Sycamore Lane in Hood Manor, was sentenced to four years and two months immediate imprisonment.

He was also told he must sign the sex offender register for life and was handed an indefinite restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the victim.

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A CONVICTED sex offender has been jailed for breaching the requirements of the sex offender’s register.

Christopher Boardwell was placed on the register in 2015 following convictions of sexual offences involving a child.

Chris Hopkins, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday (February 29) how a requirement of the registration was to notify the police of any changes including financially.

Boardwell, of Hollybank Caravan Park, Rixton, breached this by opening a new bank account with Monzo in which his monthly wage was paid into and not registering this new account with the police.

This meant the police were not able to carry out financial checks or monitor his accounts if they needed to.

“The defendant was arrested and made no communication in the interview,” Mr Hopkins said.

Boardwell was brought before the courts in 2015 after being convicted of trying to convince a female under the age of 13 to engage in penetrative activity, the court heard.

The offence took place in 2012 and involved the defendant communicating with a girl as young as 12 on an online chat room and attempting to encourage them to carry out sexual acts.

He was handed a sentence of 18-months suspended for two years.

Mr Hopkins explained how in 2017 the defendant was sentenced to a further stay in prison after breaching the order.

And in November 2020, Boardwell also breached the requirements of registration by failing to inform police of his new address and was sentenced to another 14-month custodial term.

Defending, Gareth Roberts said: “He is 42 years of age. He has pleaded to this offence in lower court on January 25 on his first appearance.

“He knows and realises offences like this are also serious. When he was in prison for his last breach, his bank account was closed down. He opened the account after and said he did inform the police of the account and the police said ‘leave it with us’.

“He accepts he should have followed process and gone down to the station to properly register it.

“He wants to start again and rebuild his life.”

Concluding the sentencing, honour judge David Porter served the defendant an immediate sentence of eight-months.