Latest Offenders Warrington

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A THUG who was previously jailed for a shocking attack on a youth in a park has been sent back to custody.

Ethan Moran knocked the boy’s front tooth out and left him with hearing problems after disapproving of him being in a relationship with a younger girl.

However, the 21-year-old has now been jailed again for having sex with an underage girl.

Moran was charged with engaging in sexual activity with a child, and he appeared to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday.

Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting, explained how the offence occurred in the summer of 2020 when he was 19, while the complainant was a girl under the age of 16.

One evening, while both were at loose ends, they met up at the defendant’s flat on his invitation to watch a film.

The court heard how the defendant knew she was underage and she knew he was 19, but he met her outside and escorted her upstairs.

She thought they would only be watching a film due to her age, the court was told, however this escalated to kissing on the couch and then unprotected sex.

At the time she said she was ‘fine’, but then became ‘panicky’ due to the age difference.

The court heard that the defendant lied to the complainant’s parents about his age, but they soon found out and Moran was arrested in December 2020.

He admitted to police that they had engaged in sexual activity, but he told them he was in a ‘bad place’ at the time mentally and with drugs.

In an impact statement, the court heard how the complainant has suffered from anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts since the incident.

Ms Mottram revealed to the court that Moran has one previous conviction for wounding, for which he was handed 12 months detention in a young offender institution in May last year.

That offence took place three months after the sex offence, but before he was arrested for it.

It arose after his punch in Brickfield Park in Orford knocked a teen’s front tooth out and left him with hearing problems.

Moran, who had taken class A drugs beforehand, launched the attack on a 16-year-old boy, as for ‘reasons unknown’, he objected to his victim starting a relationship with a 15-year-old girl.

The defendant continued to punch the teen five or six times to the head after knocking him to the ground and only stopped after desperate pleas from shocked onlookers.

 The boy took his tooth to the dentist the next day, where he was told the tooth would not stay in and would require an implant which requires replacing every 10 to 15 years.

He also revealed that he must wear a hearing aid for the rest of his life due to hearing problems developed as a result of the attack.

In defence of his client, Anthony Rose referenced Moran’s guilty plea and the fact that ‘this is not a situation where there was an element of coercion or grooming’.

“This was an inappropriate and wrong sexual relationship between two consenting people,” the barrister explained.

“The defendant is a different person then than he is now, as he has been through a significant custodial sentence which had a profound effect on him.

“He has done a lot of growing up since then, and he was very immature a the time of the offence.”

Mr Rose told the court that the defendant has been volunteering with a group helping to deliver food parcels as he ‘wants to pay back and become a better person’, and added that there is a ‘compelling argument to allow this man to have his liberty’.

But this view was rejected by judge David Potter, who concluded that only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate.

He said: “This was clearly inappropriate and wrong sexual activity, which you accept.

“The offence is a serious offence, and I am satisfied that you knew the person you had penetrative sex with was under 16.

“The law exists to protect children, sometimes from themselves. You should have known and acted better.

“The offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence is appropriate.

“The sentence is capable of being suspended, but I am satisfied that only adequate punishment can be achieved by the imposition of an immediate sentence of imprisonment.”

Moran, of Poplars Avenue in Orford, was sentenced to six months in prison.

He was also handed a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and must abide by sex offender registration requirements for the same length of time.

In addition, a restraining order preventing him from contacting the complainant by any means was imposed for an indefinite period. 

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A CHEF who was rumbled with a disgusting collection of indecent images of children has walked free from court.

Steven Finalls horrific stash included some of the worst categorised child sex images including toddlers being raped.

The 45-year-old was rumbled by police and subsequently charged with three counts of making indecent images of children (IIOC), one of possessing IIOC and one of possession of cocaine.

He was put before Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday, however he was allowed to walk free due to his good prospect of rehabilitation.

Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, explained how the collection came to light after police executed a search warrant on January 13 at his home, which the court heard was in Warrington.

This came after the authorities received intelligence relating to Finalls suspected activities on the social media platform Snapchat.

Officers seized a Samsung tablet computer and a mobile phone during the raid, as well as a quantity of cocaine, with a forensic examination revealing the presence of IIOC.

In total, there were 190 depraved images and videos on his devices, including 36 graded as category A the most severe category with one showing a two-year-old child being raped.

The examination also discovered 32 category B images and 122 rated as category C.

Most were in cache files, having been deleted from the devices.

In defence of his client, Simeon Evans referenced his strong work ethic during his time working as a chef at The Swan pub in Winwick.

He also spoke of his guilty pleas to the charges, his lack of previous convictions and his acceptance of possessing the images during his police interview.

Before sentencing, recorder Mark Ainsworth said: You must understand that the court takes a very dim view of this sort of conduct.

The point that needs to be emphasized, time and time again, is that behind each of those images is a child being sexually abused.

If there was no marketplace for those images, and people like you looking on the internet searching for them, the abuse would not take place.

The circumstances of this case are such that, while I am obliged to impose a sentence of imprisonment, it can be suspended due to there being a good prospect of rehabilitation.

Finall, whose address in court was given as The Swan pub on Golborne Road, was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 35 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

In addition, he is now subject to a sexual harm prevention order for seven years, as well as sex offender registration requirements for the same length of time.

An order for the forfeiture and destruction of the devices and cocaine seized.

In a statement following the hearing, The Swan pub said: "We were utterly shocked and appalled to read headlines about a former member of our kitchen team, as this was the first time we had been made aware of his court case and sentencing.

"We can confirm he no longer works at our pub, and if any allegations had been made to us previously, we would have dealt with them in a swift and appropriate manner through our usual HR processes.

"Any comments made in court about support from his employer must have been around general support he received during his time working here.

"Everyone at the pub is so deeply upset and distressed by this, and we please ask you to understand that we have found out about this news at the same time as everyone else."

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A PERVERT has walked free from court, despite engaging in sex chats online with someone he believed was a young girl.

Terry Yates sent disgusting messages to the ‘girl’ – but this was in fact a member of a paedophile hunter group set up to catch child sex offenders.

The 39-year-old was subsequently charged with attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.

But he was spared an immediate jail sentence to allow him to get the ‘help and treatment he needs’ outside of a custody setting.

Olivia Beesley, prosecuting, explained how Yates sent a Facebook friend request to the profile of a ’14-year-old girl’ operated by paedophile hunters on May 5 this year.

He then began to send messages to the ‘teenager’ on June 3, asking her to ‘look at my little willy’.

The defendant was made clear that the girl was only 14, but he continued to message the account, referring to her as ‘gorgeous’ and ‘his beautiful princess’.

As well as sending naked videos and photos of himself, married Yates asked the girl to send him a video of herself ‘giggling’ and photos of her in her school uniform.

He was confronted by paedophile hunter group members on July 2 at his home on Whitworth Close in Birchwood.

Cheshire Police officers were called to the scene and Yates was arrested.

The court also heard that the defendant lost his Amazon warehousing job as a result of his arrest, although he has since found further employment.

Ms Beesley added that Yates has one previous conviction for handling stolen goods back in 2004.

In defence of his client, Jeremy Rawson spoke of how the defendant has demonstrated a ‘clear acceptance of wrong, remorse and insight into the consequences of his offending’.

“He understands quite clearly, had this been a real individual, then he could not live with himself for what he has done,” he said.

 “The man in the dock, prior to this foolhardy, reckless and stupid activity, had a wife, a house, a job, a family and friends.

“He has managed to keep his house and obtain employment, but all those other ostentations passed him by, and he is effectively alone.”

Before sentencing, recorder Mark Ainsworth described the facts of the case as ‘frankly appalling’.

"This is what every parent fears. This is the sort of behaviour that causes outrage and disgust within society, and understandably so,” he said.

“It is clear that she made it known to you that she was 14 years of age, and yet you persevered.

"The impact on you will be significant. It means, effectively, that your marriage has come to an end.”

But he added: “I can ensure you receive the help and treatment you would clearly benefit from to ensure that this is not repeated in future. Whether you serve that sentence is a matter entirely for you.

“If for the next two years you remain out of trouble, then you can put this matter behind you and move on with your life.”

He sentenced Yates to eight months in prison suspended for two years.

The defendant must also complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

In addition, he was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender registration requirements, both lasting 10 years.

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 A SEX offender is now serving time behind bars for his ‘flagrant disregard for court orders’.

Paul Roberts was hauled before the courts for failing to abide by the terms of his sex offender registration requirements.

The 39-year-old was told that the level of risk he poses was one of the reasons why magistrates felt that anything other than immediate imprisonment was inappropriate.

Roberts, of no fixed abode, appeared before Crewe Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 5 after being charged with breaching his sex offenders register requirements.

Jenna Cooney, prosecuting, explained how the defendant was made subject to the requirements following conviction of a sex offence.

Such requirements allow authorities to keep track of the activities of sex offenders, including those who have completed their criminal sentences.

Roberts was found to have breached his requirements between August 17 and 27 by failing, ‘without reasonable excuse’ to notify authorities that he was staying at a Warrington address other than one he was approved to do so for seven days or more.

Magistrates took his guilty plea into account, however they remarked that the offence was ‘so serious’ that only a custodial sentence could be justified

They also said that the defendant has a ‘flagrant disregard for court orders’, committed the offence while subject to post-sentence supervision and due to the level of risk he poses.

Roberts was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison and ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £154.

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Officers confronted Smoggie who was seen acting 'suspiciously' around women

A registered sex offender was spotted taking "hundreds" of pictures of women at a Pride event by plain clothes police officers.

Andrew Smoggie - also previously known as Andrew Mackie, 51, of Thelwall Lane, Warrington, was caught acting "suspiciously" around women during Manchester Pride on Peter Street in the city.

When police checked his phone they found hundreds of pictures of women and they suspected many were taken at Pride. Specialist officers had detected that Smoggie was walking around with his phone to his ear, but the screen was discreetly in photo mode.

Police officers caught him taking a picture of a woman who was unconscious of his actions and they confronted him.

After being spoken to by police he was identified as a registered sex offender with an order preventing him from taking pictures of any female not known to him whilst in a public.

Smoggie was charged with a breach of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). A SHPO is a court order that can be requested by the police, imposed in court when there is a specific concern about an individual. It can remain in place for at least five years - or can be imposed by a court indefinitely and any breach is a criminal offence.

Conditions for a SHPO can consist of telling the police what devices they own, who they are in contact with, and, in exceptional cases, restricts where they can and cannot go in the community.

He was remanded in police custody and appeared at Manchester & Salford Magistrates court on Monday, August 29 where he pleaded guilty.

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A SERIAL exposer has been jailed again after being caught naked while holding his genitals at a bus stop.

Andrew Fearnley-Hill was spotted by police on one of Warringtons busiest roads, with one officer commenting that he appeared to be performing a sex act on himself.

The 52-year-old has a history of sex offending, with a long list of previous convictions for being naked in public.

He is now facing more time behind bars, with a judge stating that the more he offends, the longer he will spend locked up.

Fearnley-Hill appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday videolink from HM Prison Altcourse to be sentenced on a charge of exposure.

Joanne Cronshaw, prosecuting, explained how the offence occurred on July 2 this year, which happened to be the defendants birthday.

At around 11.30pm, two officers were returning to Warrington Police Station when they spotted him standing at a bus stop on Folly Lane while fully naked.

One of the officers said that he was holding his penis and appeared to have been performing a sex act on himself, with his pants and underwear on the floor beside him.

He was holding his genitals in full view of passing motorists, pedestrians and people living in homes opposite the bus stop.

After approaching him, officers remarked that he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, was slurring his word and had empty beer cans beside him.

Ms Cronshaw revealed to the court that Fearnley-Hill has 17 previous convictions for 26 offences, 11 of which have been sex offences, including 10 for either exposure or outraging public decency and one for sexual assault.

Among his previous convictions are incidents of approaching lone females while naked and holding his penis.

He is currently in prison on recall having committed this latest offence while out on licence.

Defending his client, Jeremy Rawson said: His strongest piece of mitigation is his guilty plea at magistrates court, and he also made admissions in his police interview.

He explained that the defendant takes a cocktail of drugs for a heart condition, which do not react well to alcohol.

Before sentencing, judge Gary Woodhall said: An explanation can be deduced by way of your previous convictions you are a serial offender for exposing yourself in public, with an established pattern of offending.

None of the interventions have done anything to stop you from committing this sort of offence.

I was never going to suspend the sentence in any event due to your previous convictions. You pose a high risk of sexual offending.

I am satisfied that the offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified.

Fearnley-Hill, of Lovely Lane, was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

On his release, he will be subject to sex offender registration requirements for 10 years and abide by post-sentence supervision for a further 12 months.

Before ending the hearing, judge Woodhall added: You must understand that if you keep committing these offences, you simply will keep getting prison sentences.

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A FATHER has been locked up after sending disgusting sexual videos and photos online to someone he believed was a young girl.

David Reading thought he was communicating with a 12-year-old, asking her to perform sex acts on herself and send photos of her naked.

But the 38-year-old was in fact chatting to an undercover police officer tasked with catching online child sex offenders.

The defendant, from Orford, appeared to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, where he was told that the only appropriate punishment was immediate custody.

He attended after pleading guilty to attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, attempted sexual communications with a child and attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity.

He also admitted charges of possessing and making indecent images of children at an earlier hearing.

Jamie Baxter, prosecuting, explained how on November 22 last year, the defendant instigated a conversation with another user on the chatroom Chatiw a site which the court heard is often abused by paedophiles.

Throughout the discussion, Reading believed he was talking to a 12-year-old girl, but it was in fact an undercover police officer working to identify online child sex offenders.

His profile, which contained the name David and stated he was a 37-year-old man from Cheshire, began the conversation with an account under the username NotInSchool.

The account stated it belonged to a girl from Lancashire aged 18 the lowest the age can be set when making an account on the platform.

The girl received a message from the defendant saying what do you think, followed by a photo of a penis, to which she asked why he had sent her that.

She told him that she was not really 18, and when he asked how old she really was, with another photo of a penis, she said 12.

Reading told her this was ok and asked her if she thought his penis was small, as well as for her ID on Kik Messenger.

The girl added him on the social media platform, with her Kik account including the name Izzy Jane, and he asked her if she wanted to see his little d**k before sending her a 15-second video of him performing a sex act on himself.

On another occasion, he sent further images of his erect penis and asked her to send naked photos of herself, to which she reminded him that she was 12.

Another interaction saw him tell her he was naked in bed and ask if she wanted to perform a sex act on herself and show him her knickers.

Police investigating the defendant tracked his IP address to his home, and on January 7 this year at 6.50am, officers from Cheshire Polices Online Child Abuse Investigation Team arrested him.

A number of devices were seized and he offered no comment during his police interview.

The following month, a forensic analysis report returned with evidence of indecent images of children on his iPhone.

The six images were graded as category C, showing children as young as nine naked in sex poses and positions.

Mr Baxter revealed to the court that Reading has no previous convictions, with his only prior brush with the law being a police caution for being drunk and disorderly in 2004.

In defence of his client, Jeremy Rawson referenced his guilty pleas entered at the first opportunity and how he has lived an otherwise blameless life.

He is remorseful and regretful. He has a very steep and high hill to climb to address his offending, but he is open to rehabilitation, the barrister said.

He faces a custodial sentence, there is no doubt about that. The only issue is if it can be suspended or not.

I submit that appropriate punishment can be achieved without the need for an immediate custodial sentence because of his strong personal mitigation.

However, this view was rejected by judge Anil Murray, who commented: Looking at your behaviour overall, this is a case where appropriate punishment can only be achieved with immediate custody.

Reading, of Orford Avenue, was sentenced to 16 months in prison.

He must also abide by a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and sign the sex offender register for the same length of time.

In addition, an order was approved to deprive the defendant of his iPhone which contained the indecent images of children.

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A CONVICTED sex offender who is banned from being drunk and touching people has been jailed again.

Jimmy Artell, now of Fearnhead, Warrington, was handed a criminal behaviour order in August last year by the courts following a drunken crime spree.

The 41-year-old was also jailed for 44 weeks at Chester Crown Court after admitting sexual assault, assault by beating, failing to comply with the sex offenders register and criminal damage.

The charges relate a number of offences in the Ellesmere Port and Chester areas, prominently involving abusive and threatening language and making unwanted advances towards people.

Through his five-year criminal behaviour order, Artell is prohibited from being drunk in any public place in England and Wales and from being in possession of an open container of alcohol in a public place.

He is also banned from having physical contact with any person while intoxicated, except for a legitimate purpose or with their consent.

But he is now behind bars again for flouting the order by being drunk in Ellesmere Port on July 13, as well as for failing to comply with his supervision requirements after being released from custody.

Appearing before Chester Magistrates Court on Friday, Artell, of Valiant Close, was sentenced to six weeks in prison.

District judge Nicholas Sanders took the defendants guilty pleas into account, however he remarked that Artell has a flagrant disregard for court orders.

Speaking when the criminal behaviour order was imposed last year, Inspector Paul Fegan, of Cheshire Police, said: Over the past few years, we have dealt with a variety of different incidents involving Artell, including inappropriate touching, all of which appear to stem from his addiction to alcohol.

Hopefully, now that this order is in place, which requires him to actively engage with the services that are available to help him, he will be able to start moving forward with his life.

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AN offender has been jailed for breaching his sex offender register requirements.

Robert Dooley admitted breaching the terms of the register, which contains the details of anyone convicted, cautioned or released from prison for sexual offence against children or adults.

The 34-year-old committed the breach in Warrington on June 24 this year.

According to court documents, he failed without reasonable excuse to comply with the notification requirements of the register by failing to register with authorities that he had a new address or was of no fixed abode.

Dooley, whose address in court was given as no fixed abode, but of the Widnes area, was subsequently charged with failing to comply with notification requirements of the sex offender register.

The defendant admitted the breach when he appeared before Chester Magistrates Court.

Taking this guilty plea into account, magistrates jailed him for 26 weeks.

In their reasoning, they remarked that the offence was so serious that only a custodial sentence could be justified, as well as the defendant having a flagrant disregard for court orders.

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Anthony Moores sent disgusting photos of himself to the child and told her he was ‘horny’ – but it was in fact an undercover police officer.

The 33-year-old committed the crime while on police bail for no less than 17 child sex offences, failing to heed warnings after admitting the disgusting offences but before being sentenced.

After seeing his current jail sentence extended, he was told that he was clearly dangerous, and that an extended sentence was needed to safely protect the public.

Moores admitted attempted sexual communications with a child and attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity and appeared before Manchester Crown Square Crown Court to be sentenced.

Rachel Shenton, prosecuting, explained how the defendant had previously been sentenced in August 2021 to four years in prison with an extended licence period of a further four years.

This was for 17 offences including causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, making indecent images of a child, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child committed in September 2020-.

 The court heard how he encouraged a ’vulnerable’ 11-year-old girl in residential care to send videos of herself performing sexual acts, while also engaging in sex chats with 12 other girls who he believed to be between the ages of 12 and 15, but were in fact decoys created by members of a paedophile hunter group.

The offences for which he was sentenced for in this latest hearing were committed in January last year – while on bail after being convicted of the former offences, but before being jailed for them.

He was arrested while a prisoner at HM Prison Forest Bank in Salford in November 2021, following analysis of devices seized after police visited his home on Buttermarket Street in Warrington town centre on March 23 earlier that year.

This came after he was caught having sexualised chats via online dating site MeetMe with a profile he believed belonged to Billy, a 13-year-old girl from Ipswich, but which was in fact controlled by an undercover police officer.

The profile he was chatting with had a photo of a 13-year-old girl, and on January 29 last year, the officer received a private message from the defendant’s profile, which was in his own name.

Chat messages included ‘what are you looking for’, to which the officer replied: “Some fun, but I am young.”

Moores told the officer that he was ‘horny’, and when he was told by the ‘girl’ that she was 13, he replied that he was 31.

Messages continued on WhatsApp, where the defendant told the ‘girl’ that she was ‘so cute’ and asked what ‘stuff’ she had done with her last boyfriend. 

 He asked for video chats and whether she would like to see him perform a sex act on himself, before sending a photo of such activity.

The defendant asked for a photo of her breasts, made references about her genitalia, asked if she liked the photos he sent and asked if she wanted to be his girlfriend, as well as a discussion about meeting up.

He asked her to perform sex acts on herself and himself and told her that he loved her before the messages ended on February 14.

When he was interviewed in prison, he answered no comment to most questions.

Michael Johnson, defending, spoke of how Moores’ learning disability ‘contributed to his offending in having a bearing on his conduct’.

He said that his client ‘craves intimacy’, but shields behind social media platforms due to ‘esteem issues’, and he asked for any sentence to run concurrent his current one – meaning no extra time behind bars.

Before sentencing, judge Hilary Manley said: “You engaged in sexual communications with an undercover police officer – she said she was 13 and you did not care.

“There was a significant difference in your age and what you believed her age to be.

“You failed to respond to warnings after already being caught, had pleaded guilty and was awaiting sentence, and you did it again.”

“Because you have been convicted of a specific offence, I have to consider dangerousness, and whether you present a significant risk of serious harm by committing other offences – I am satisfied that you do present that risk,” she went on to say. 

 “When I sentenced you in August last year, I took the view that you were dangerous, and this view has only been reinforced by what I now know.”

Moores, whose address in court was simply listed at HMP Altcourse, was jailed for 22 months with an extended licence period of a year.

This will run consecutive to the four-year sentence imposed in August last year, and once he has served two thirds of the total custodial term, the parole board will determine if he can be released and serve the five-year extended licence period.

He must also sign the sex offender register for life and abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely. 

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A PERVERTED pensioner subjected a young girl to appalling sexual abuse and took depraved photos as he did so.

Raymond Hughes was handed a sentence of more than a decade behind bars for his shocking behaviour.

The 74-year-old implored his victim not to tell anyone about the abuse as bad guys would hurt him, and he told police he hoped she would simply forget about what happened.

Hughes was charged with four counts of sexual assault by penetration of a child under 13 and one of taking indecent images of a child.

He was also convicted of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and causing a child to watch sexual activity, and he appeared to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday.

Louise McCloskey, prosecuting, explained how the victim revealed to her family in January that she had been sexually abused.

She told her shocked and horrified family that she had wanted to speak out for a long time but was worried about what would happen next.

Police were informed and she was interviewed, explaining to officers that the defendant would make her sit on his knee while he showed her online pornography.

As she was forced to watch, he would perform sex acts on her, including penetrative activity which she said hurt.

He would also take photos of himself abusing her while she was naked and call her beautiful, telling her that she would be attractive when she grew up.

Police found 20 indecent images of her in his possession, two of which were categorised as category A the worst grading while eight were category B and 10 category C.

The victim also told officers that he would make her hold his penis while he urinated and performed sex acts on himself, as well as how he told her not to tell anyone about the abuse as bad guys would hurt him.

Hughes was arrested by police and interviewed, where he made full and frank admissions to the offences.

He said that he got aroused when she sat on his knee and when he touched her in a sexual way, while accepting that he performed penetrative activity with her, but never with his penis.

The defendant added that he regretted his actions very, very much and that he had hoped she would have forgotten about it.

An impact statement was read out in court in which the victim said she remembers in detail what happened to her.

It upsets me looking back as I was told it was completely normal, and I feel sick I could have thought something like that was normal, she said.

The abuse caused her to have problems sleeping, including nightmares about what he did, while she now has low self-esteem.

Reporting what happened to the police was overwhelming and stressful for her as it was difficult going through it again.

Representing his client, James Smith referenced his lack of any previous convictions and his ill-health due to chronic heart and lung conditions and long Covid.

This defendant is deeply sorry and ashamed for his actions, he said.

He knows he will have caused a lasting and serious impact, and he fully accepts the punishment which will be meted out by your honour today.

He is someone who will embrace rehabilitation, and he has a high motivation to comply with all therapies proposed.

Before sentencing, judge David Potter said: All along, you hoped she would keep your awful secret to herself.

What you did to her had a massive impact on her life and mental health. She was a happy and outgoing child, but her childhood was taken from her by your actions.

It is abundantly clear that the psychological impact of your offending is profound, and it is likely to be a life-long lasting impact.

Your life has been shattered, but so has that of many people because of your appalling behaviour.

These offences are so serious that only an immediate and significant period of imprisonment is appropriate.

Hughes, of Thurston Close in Hood Manor, was sentenced to 11 years and four months of prison.

Due to the nature of the offences, he is classed as an offender of particular concern and was therefore handed a determinate sentence.

This means he will have to serve two thirds of the jail term in custody before the case goes before the parole board to determine if he can be released, and if so, he must spend an extra year on extended license.

He must also sign the sex offender register, comply with the terms of a sexual harm prevention order and abide by a restraining order not to contact or approach his victim all for life.

Following the sentencing, DC Lauren Pedley, who led the police investigation, said: Being subjected to sexual abuse affects people in the most profound way, and I would like to thank the victim for the courage she showed in disclosing what Hughes subjected her to during her childhood.

While she will never be able to forget about what happened to her, I hope the fact that he is now behind bars facing the consequences of his actions provides the victim with some closure and enables her to begin to move forward with her life.

DC Pedley added: I hope this case and the significant custodial sentence that Hughes has received encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us.

Cheshire Constabulary takes any allegation of sexual offences extremely seriously, no matter how long ago they relate to.

Any allegation will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority.

Victims should never feel ashamed to talk about what they have been subjected to.

They will receive the help and support they need from our specialist officers, as well as from other support agencies we work alongside, and all victims of sexual offences have the right to anonymity for life.

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A PAEDOPHILE has been locked up after being caught sharing disgusting sexual messages with someone who he believed was an 11-year-old girl in foster care.

Ethan Birch arranged to meet up with the child, bringing with him pairs of girls knickers and crop tops after discussing his depraved fantasies with her.

Unbeknown to him though that the girl was in fact a member of a paedophile hunter group, who had set up a fake profile to catch offenders preying on youngsters online.

The defendant appeared to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday after admitting five counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity and two of attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity.

He also pleaded guilty to one offence of attempting to meet a child after grooming, one of attempted sexual communication with a child and one of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual communication.

Derek Jones, prosecuting, explained how the offences occurred over a 10-day period between January 12 and 21 this year.

The case involved a group set up with the purpose of flushing out people that they perceived were child sex offenders.

A group member set up a profile on the Chat Avenue social media platform under the guise of an 11-year-old girl named Izzy, who was messaged by the defendant in a teen chatroom.

The pair chatted and he asked her not to block him if he told her he was really 20, to which she replied she was aged 11.

After learning her age, Birch asked her if she was looking for a boyfriend and about her home life, to which she told him she was a foster child.

He made comments about her profile picture, telling her how gorgeous she was, and on the first day of speaking to her he asked her if she loved him.

The defendant continued to message over the following days on WhatsApp after they exchanged phone numbers, with his real name and photo appearing on his profile.

He told her that he cared about her and that he wanted to do something naughty together, asking to see her underwear.

Birch asked a number of times for such photos, which she repeatedly refused to send, even after he sent her a photo of him in his boxershorts.

Mr Jones explained how the defendant used manipulative language to try and get her to do what he wanted, such as asking her: Do you want to make me happy?

Chats turned to Birch instructing her how to perform sex acts on herself and telling her that she had to show him her underwear as she was his girlfriend.

He sent her a photo of his naked genitals and a video of himself performing a sex act, with discussions escalating further with more sexual requests of her, this time of a penetrative nature.

As the vile messages continued, she said: Please dont ask, its scary to do that. In response, he said: Im not asking, Im telling my girlfriend.

While he also helped her with her schoolwork and explained maths concepts to her, the defendant then began to talk about meeting up at McDonalds in Widnes, which was close to his then home in Warrington.

From the couple of hundred pages of messages, the prosecution determined it was Birchs intention to meet up for sexual touching rather than penetrative activity.

The night before the proposed meet-up, the defendants conscience seems to get the better of him, with him telling her how wrong his actions have been and that he should not be talking like this to anybody under 18.

This change of heart was however relatively short lived, and conversations returned to type with more requests for her to perform sex acts on herself.

The pair arranged to meet up outside the DCBL Stadium on Lower House Lane in Widnes on Friday, January 21.

When the defendant arrived, he was greeted by members of the paedophile hunter group who detained him and called the police.

After arriving at the scene, officers searched Birchs rucksack and found pairs of girls underwear aged 12-14 years, as well as crop tops and a clean pair of underwear for himself.

In his clients defence, David Morton spoke of how the defendant was a man of previous and positive character, with no prior convictions.

He said that this was the beginning of how he intends to live a law-abiding life in the future, as someone who has expressed remorse, regret and an utter sense of shame.

Mr Morton commented that Birch is utterly determined never to return to a criminal court again, while references describe him as hard-working, academic, polite respectful, nave, industrious and shy.

Having had a taste of custody, his life will never be the same again, but there is a glimmer of real rehabilitation and a possibility of drawing back from an immediate custodial sentence, he concluded.

Before sentencing, judge Brian Cummings said: You were and still are 20 years old, and some of the most difficult sentencing issues for the courts arise when the defendant has not been in trouble before and where they are young, but where the offences are very serious that very much applies in this case.

This course of offending was relatively short, over 12 days, but unfortunately it cannot be said that it came to an end because you voluntarily desisted.

It ended when you arranged to meet up in person with the intention of having sexual contact with her.

Birch, of Little Lowes Meadow in Lowton, but appearing before the court via video-link from prison, was sentenced to four years and eight months detention in a young offender institution.

He must also comply with the terms of a sexual harm prevention order for an indefinite period, while signing the sex offender register for the same length of time.

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A SEX OFFENDER who attacked a security guard at Warrington Hospital has been jailed.

The assault took place last month after Michael Hayes attacked the worker.

And just eight days before, the 28-year-old committed another abusive offence against a man in Warrington.

This meant that Hayes, of Yardley Avenue, Dallam, had committed both offences while on post-sentence supervision.

He also breached the requirements of his post-sentence supervision after he failed to attend an appointment and failed to notify the police of his whereabouts as he was instructed to do so under the terms of his status as a registered sex offender.

Hayes appeared before Warrington Magistrates Court last month after pleading guilty to assault by beating of an emergency worker, using threatening or abusive behaviour with the intent to cause fear and failing to comply with the requirements of post-custodial supervision.

The magistrates claimed that the offence was so serious because Hayes was offending while on post-sentence supervision.

He was handed a 16-week prison sentence.

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A MAN who complained about living next door to a paedophile has been jailed - for being a paedophile.

Darren Higham previously claimed he was furious about living next door to the sex offender, but he is now behind bars for sexually abusing a child over a period of four years.

He subjected a child to horrific sexual abuse from the age of seven until she was around 11.

The abuse ranged from kissing and touching the child to forcing her to perform sex acts on him on more than one occasion.

Higham, of Chaffinch Close, Birchwood, appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to four counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 and inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The 53-year-olds sick offending came to light when he was spotted with the victim, said prosecutor David Watson.

Mr Watson said how the person who saw them felt like something wasnt right so contacted social services.

The victim later told her mum that she had been sexually abused by Higham for ages.

The child told the police how Higham, a self-employed musician, used to kiss her and put his penis on her and recalled on one occasion how he had touched her.

She also told them how he asked her not to tell anyone about the abuse as it would mean he would be sent to prison.

The court heard how the victim said this made her feel scared and sometimes she would pretend to be tired and fall asleep so he would stop.

When these allegations were put towards Higham, he self-harmed and was hospitalised but was later interviewed by police and admitted to the abuse.

He told officers that something triggered inside of him but he told them he had no sexual interest in children.

Mr Watson read out a statement from the victims mother who claimed the sexual abuse committed by Higham has had a massive impact.

The statement said that the victim sometimes feels unloved and is undergoing counseling and trauma therapy as a result.

Defending, Gary Lawrenson said that prior to these offences, Higham was a man of good character.

He told the court how Higham has shown genuine remorse and is willing to engage in any work with the probation services.

Mr Lawrenson said: He does not seek to minimise his actions in any way, shape or form.

And in a letter to the court, Higham said: There are no words to say how much devastation and remorse I feel. I stand before you with acceptance of any punishment that you deem fit.

Higham was handed a four-year prison sentence, issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and is subject to a restraining order for 10 years.

Detective constable Chris Orme said: This young person showed great courage coming forward to report what had been happening.

This ultimately meant that Darren Higham could be put in front of the court, where he pleaded guilty to these awful crimes.

I hope the sentence brings some closure for the victim.

Cheshire Police is committed to protecting children and bringing to justice those who seek to harm them.

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A MAN has been jailed for repeatedly sexually abusing a young boy over a four year period during the early 1990s.

Philip Boardman, of Winstanley Close in Hood Manor, committed the offences - which began when he was aged 14 - while living in the St Helens area.

The 45-year-old denied four counts of indecent assault, one of which was for multiple offending, but was found guilty following a trial and was appearing at Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing.

The court heard how Boardman repeatedly molested the boy and forced him to touch him indecently.

The court heard that two of the counts would now be classed as rape. They related to two specific instances of the oral rape of the child.

Geoffrey Lowe, prosecuting, read a victim impact statement from the boy now aged in his late 30s in which he described suffering from insomnia, anxiety and depression.

My depression causes me to have no interest in activities and I lack any motivation to do anything on most days," he wrote.

"My depression makes me feel hopeless and empty and angry a lot of the time. I also have terrible self image and have no self importance.

What happened in my youth destroyed my mental health and my mental health has been a constant obstacle to everything else in my life.

"I have no happy time to get back to. I have no future to focus on. I have never been unafraid or felt safe. Ive never been happy. I have never had a good opinion of the world or the people in it. I trust no one and never relax or let my guard down. That's what it did to me."

The court heard that Boardman, a father of two, had no previous convictions.

Passing sentence, Judge David Swinnerton, said: "You have a good work history as a healthcare assistant in hospitals, an ambulance technician and more recently for a medical company transporting confidential items including specimens.

"Your wife describes you as a caring, fun loving and devoted dad and a very caring husband. Your parents-in-law speak highly of you.

"But that happy and productive adult life hid a dark secret."

Judge Swinnerton explained that at the time of Boardman's offences, in 1994, the maximum sentence as a 17-year-old, he could have received would have been 12 months detention.

The judge said that the culpability of the repeated abuse and the severe psychological harm inflicted would not be adequately reflected by a sentence limited to 12 months.

"I agree that the passage of time does not imbue a defendant with any greater culpability or moral responsibility than he had at the time of the offence, but our understanding of harm and culpability in sexual offences has changed since 1994.

"In my judgement, this is one of those cases where it is appropriate to go beyond the maximum that could have been imposed when you were 17 and in the interests of justice to do so."

He added: "You have not accepted that you have done anything wrong and have shown no remorse."

Judge Swinnerton said if Boardman was an adult committing the offences now, then he would have jailed him for around 16 years.

He sentenced a tearful Boardman to four years in prison and added that he would have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.