Ethan Moran 22

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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.