Andrew Sullivan 32

Description

A man who tried to conceal his sexual offences by blaming it on his non-existent twin has been jailed.

Suspicions were first raised about Andrew Sullivan, 32, when the parents of a child he had been in contact with raised concerns about his previous offences and the possibility he was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

He told them it had in fact been his twin brother who was responsible - and who had since taken his own life.

But, after carrying out their own research, the parents found that Sullivan's twin did not exist and reported him to Lancashire Police.

Officers then uncovered that Sullivan had sexually assaulted a young boy whilst in contact with them.

After forensically examining Sullivan's phone, police found 1,346 illicit images of children, with 701 of the images branded ‘Category A’, the worst possible grading. All of the 1,346 files were videos.

He was charged with three counts of sexual touching of a male child, causing a male child to engage in sexual activity, possession of indecent images of children, and breach of a SHPO.

Sullivan, now of no fixed abode, but formerly of Dickson Road in Blackpool, was sentenced two 12 years in prison in connection with offences in Lancashire and the Kent area at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday 23 May.

He will be required to sign the sex offenders register for life and will also be subjected to a lifelong SHPO, which includes prohibiting him from having unsupervised contact with children and limiting his access to the internet.

Sullivan was also sentenced for rape of a child under 13 and sexual assault of a child in Kent in 2007.

DC Sam Schofield of Blackpool Police said: "Sullivan is a despicable individual who committed abhorrent crimes against children.

“He believed he was being cunning, hiding his previous convictions and lying to facilitate his access to children.

"Thanks to the inquisitive nature of the parents, his lies were uncovered and began to unravel. He will now serve a custodial sentence for his actions both in Kent and Lancashire.

"I want to praise the bravery of the victim. He and his family have shown incredible strength and bravery throughout proceedings. I hope that they can now begin to move on with their lives knowing that Sullivan is behind bars.