Latest Offenders Liverpool

Description

A paedophile said he'd travel 40 miles to have sex with a 13-year-old girl in her mother's bed.

Barry Wiley bombarded a person he thought was a child called "Maddison" with sick texts and naked photos.

The 53-year-old offered to pay for the girl's train fare to Liverpool, then said he'd travel to her home in Rochdale while her mum was out, despite the fact Maddison told him she was "scared".

But the pervert was actually talking to a retired teacher acting as a decoy for paedophile hunter group Elusive Child Protection Unit.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Wiley, of Dacy Road, Everton, was caught out last year.

The woman placed the fictional profile on social network Hi5 and its sister app Tagged, with a photo of herself, manipulated to appear childlike.

Frank Dillon, prosecuting, said Wiley - using the profile name "TheQuietMan69" - started talking to her on June 30, 2020, when she said she was 13 and didn't have a lot of friends.

She asked Wiley if he was a teacher on July 1, when he replied: "Couldnt be a teacher wouldn't be able to focus."

The next day he talked about drink making him "horny", discussed sex, disclosed his name and offered to cook, take her shopping and buy her food and clothes.

On July 5, after asking her to download Kik Messenger, he asked Maddison to download Hangouts and give him her email address.

The next day he said "I really like you though sexually" and told her he'd like to have sex with her.

Mr Dillon said he sent her "highly sexual" messages and on July 8 told her he wanted to "make love to her for hours".

The court heard Wiley sent her a photo of a man in underwear and an explicit image which he said was of himself.

He told her he was going for a bath before she received a photo of a man in a bath holding his private parts.

Wiley said he wanted sex with her, despite her saying she would be "scared", then sent a photo of two adults having sex and a picture of female genitalia.

Mr Dillon said Wiley tried to arrange meeting Maddison in Liverpool on July 26 last year and offered to pay her train fare, before he again sent a photo of a man holding his private parts and said it was him.

Mr Dillon said: "The previously arranged meeting was re-arranged, whereby the defendant would travel to Rochdale and meet with Maddison so he could go to her house and have sexual intercourse with her in her mother's bed."

The Elusive Child Protection Unit found Wiley at a snooker club in Liverpool on July 25, when police were called and he was arrested.

Wiley gave a no comment interview, but in May this year admitted attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child to look at sexual activity and attempting to arrange a child sex offence, namely sexual activity with a child.

That would have entitled him to a 25% reduction in his sentence, but he then tried to withdraw his guilty plea, which was refused following a hearing, meaning he only received 15%.

Kevin Jones, defending, said Wiley had been suffering from mental health problems and physical issues relating to diabetes at the time.

He said despite his denial of any sexual motivation and the offences, his client expressed a willingness to undertake any courses suggested for him, which he argued meant there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

The lawyer said the incident came off the back of a difficult mental health period for Wiley, after the breakdown of his relationship with older children and also children from another relationship, which he described as "destructive".

Mr Jones suggested "he was making a decision to do this as a cry for help".

Judge Louise Brandon said in a pre-sentence report Wiley denied the photos were of his penis, but in the chats he told Maddison they were.

She said he told Maddison he wanted sex with her, adding: "She told you she was scared to do that, but that didn't put you off."

The judge said he tried to facilitate a meeting in Liverpool, then rearranged it for her home, when told her mum would be out.

She said he didn't "finalise" those arrangements, but that was because he was arrested the day beforehand.

Judge Brandon said: "You were, by virtue of your guilty plea, attempting to arrange the meeting by which you would have had sex with a 13-year-old child."

She said he continued to deny the offences and an explanation he put forward in a pre-sentence report was "properly described" by the author as "outlandish and implausible".

Judge Brandon said: "You're a man who is clearly in denial of what and who you really are."

The judge said he "bombarded" Maddison with sexual messages for his sexual gratification, had "no insight" into the harm he would have caused her if she was real, and his remorse was only for the position he was now in.

Judge Brandon found there wasn't a reasonable prospect of rehabilitation because of his "continuing denials".

Jailing him for three years and nine months, and ordering him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely, she said: "I conclude you pose a danger to children."

Description

A paedophile molested a "lost" and vulnerable boy who was in care because he had already been sexually abused.

Serial sex offender Alan Healey has multiple convictions involving exposing himself in front of children in public.

The 53-year-old, of Upper Pitt Street in Liverpool city centre, was last jailed after following a boy onto a bus.

But it has now emerged he targeted his first victim - aged just nine - when he was 17 and 18 in the late 1980s.

Judge David Swinnerton said: "You made things worse for him at a time when you had fooled him into thinking you would help him and make things better."

The pervert denied five counts of indecent assault, but was found guilty after a trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

Judge Swinnerton said he attacked the "particularly vulnerable" boy at a children's home in south Liverpool, where Healey was himself living at the time.

The judge said: "You kissed him when you were 17. That kissing happened on a number of occasions. It was kissing when you put your tongue into his mouth, when you encouraged him to do the same to you.

"That took place in your bedroom in the children's home where you were living and he was visiting... He lived in a children's home, a different one down the road...

"You took advantage of him being there to befriend him, to groom him, to give him gifts, to form that relationship with him, and then to sexually assault him."

The judge said the abuse progressed to Healey putting his hand down the boy's trousers and touching his penis over his boxer shorts.

The victim told police he had already been sexually abused by two men before he went into care and was attacked by Healey, and that he was also molested by another man afterwards in a foster home.

Peter Killen, defending, said: "It's right to say his extremely traumatic childhood was not entirely down to Mr Healey, but Mr Healey simply did of course exacerbate the situation."

Judge Swinnerton told Healey: "It is impossible to extract the damage you caused him, physically, mentally, from the damage he has had from other sources, because he had a very difficult and disturbed childhood. As did you, that is why you were both in the care system.

"But at a time when he was a lost nine-year-old boy, looking for comfort and assistance, that enabled you to groom him because under the pretence of offering him friendship, comfort, being an adult person experienced in the care system, who could help him because he was having issues with being bullied and so on, you used that position as a chance to abuse him."

Mr Killen said Healey was himself physically and sexually abused in his childhood.

Judge Swinnerton accepted "no doubt" Healey had also been "damaged" by this.

However, he told Healey: "You perpetuated that, you repeated it against someone else, and you damaged him."

The judge said the abuse had a "devastating" impact, which was outlined in a victim impact statement, read by Lee Bonner, prosecuting.

The now adult man said he was "completely taken in" by Healey because the predator showed him the attention he was lacking in his life at the time.

The victim said he believed the abuse was a "major contributor" to him later turning to illegal drugs, adding: "I was so angry with Mr Healey and the world around me."

The man said he was previously prescribed antidepressants and was again after a "relapse" ahead of the trial, though the verdicts were "a massive weight lifted off my shoulders" because "at last people have believed me".

Healey was convicted of indecent exposure to boys on five occasions in 1996; of gross indecency with a child in 1997; of indecent exposure again in 1999; and then of inciting two boys to engage in sexual activity in 2010.

The court heard at that time he was working as a car park attendant at a sports centre.

He persuaded the two boys to give him their phone numbers, then sent texts inciting them to take part in sexual activity with him, in breach of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

In May 2017 he was jailed for 21 months after following a 14-year-old schoolboy onto a bus and pleasuring himself while asking the child's name.

Mr Killen told the court his client had made "progress" since then, hadn't committed any new offences, and under the care of a psychologist was motivated to change.

He said: "They had been progressing to a particular type of therapy, which it was hoped would help Mr Healey address his own childhood trauma, that being seen as the pathway to reducing risk in this case."

Urging the judge to spare him jail, he said that progress would be halted if he was jailed and added: "The defendant's risk is reducing."

However, Judge Swinnerton said he was concerned by Healey's "remarkable lack of insight", despite work done with him over three decades.

He said when Healey was interviewed about the victim he abused in the 1980s, he told police: "I'm not like that, I wouldn't do that."

Judge Swinnerton said: "The jury heard about some of your previous convictions and I'm afraid you are like that, Mr Healey, in the sense you are a sexual offender against boys.

"It troubles me that you lack insight because you told the jury 'I'm not sexually interested in boys, I do not know why I behave in that way'.

"But you clearly are and were sexually interested in boys."

Judge Swinnerton jailed Healey for four years.

He told him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

Description

A girl nearly killed herself after being targeted by a rapist described as "every mother's living nightmare".

Christopher McIntyre started chatting to his victim on Instagram then gave her a "secret" mobile phone.

After sending the schoolgirl explicit images, he met up with the child and raped her on three occasions.

Liverpool Crown Court today heard how the girl has since tried to kill herself and once "almost succeeded".

The child's mum described how seeing her daughter lying in a hospital bed made her "break inside".

Recorder Ian Unsworth, QC, told the predatory rapist: "You were every mother's living nightmare."

McIntyre, 35, of Risbury Road, Norris Green, claimed the allegations against him were "sick" and denied any wrongdoing.

He was found guilty of three counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault at a trial in July, after his victim was forced to go through the ordeal of giving evidence.

Sarah Holt, prosecuting, said the girl first chatted to McIntyre on Instagram in 2019, after which he provided her with a "secret phone".

Recorder Unsworth told him that instead of "having nothing to do with it, as you should have done, you sought to fulfil your own selfish and as it transpired predatory needs, by providing her with a secret mobile phone".

The judge said messages McIntyre sent her were "highly inappropriate", as he complimented her on her appearance and sent her explicit photos, and evidence showed he "implored" her to delete them.

Recorder Unsworth - who said the girl was a "highly vulnerable young child" and McIntyre knew this - added: "You were grooming her."

Ms Holt told the court how McIntyre later met the girl and took her to an address where he put on a film then raped her, during which the victim recalled how "she froze, she didn't know what to do and she didn't want this to happen".

The trial heard he raped her on two further occasions, before warning her not to tell anyone, leaving her feeling scared and very upset, before she began self-harming as a way of coping.

Ms Holt said McIntyre then rang the victim, which caused her to break down in front of friends, before she disclosed to them and later her parents and the police what had happened.

The court heard the abuse led to the girl making "a number of attempts on her own life", including "one particularly serious attempt", which her mum gave evidence about.

Recorder Unsworth told McIntyre: "You were every mother's living nightmare."

He said McIntyre behaved in "the most predatory and depraved way" and raped the girl three times "for your own selfish and gratuitous sexual needs".

The judge said McIntyre then "called her a liar and accused her of lying to the authorities and this court".

He said: "You not only turned her world upside down, you almost ended her world."

McIntyre showed no emotion in the dock as Recorder Unsworth continued: "I note from the contents of the pre-sentence report that you remain defiant and whilst your letter to the court expresses the view there are no winners in this, it is in my judgement an entirely self-serving and self-pitying letter."

The judge said the effect on the girl had been "devastating if not catastrophic" as outlined in victim personal statements read in court.

He said: "She has tried to take her own life on several occasions. On one occasion, she almost succeeded.

"There is only one person to blame for this and that is you."

Recorder Unsworth said not only did the victim suffer "severe psychological harm", he was satisfied it was of "an extreme nature".

He said when giving evidence, the child "impressed as an extremely brave young woman".

The judge said: "She was brave to say to the authorities what you had done, she was brave to tell her family what you had done, and anyone reading these statements can only wish her well as she moves on with her life, a life that was almost ended too short because of your actions".

Steven Swift, defending, accepted there had been a "profound and severe impact" upon the victim and her family.

Mr Swift argued an extended sentence wasn't required to protect the public, given the length of time McIntyre would serve if he received a determinate sentence, and that his client - who didn't have any previous convictions for sexual offences - was using his time in jail "productively" and had become an enhanced prisoner.

However, the judge concluded McIntyre was a "dangerous" offender, as defined in law, and that an extended sentence was required to protect the public, in particular girls.

He said in making that decision he had reminded himself of McIntyre's predatory, grooming and "manipulative" behaviour.

Recorder Unsworth jailed McIntyre for 18 years, with an extended four years on licence.

This type of sentence means McIntyre must serve at least two thirds of the custodial term - 12 years - behind bars.

He will then only be released before the end of the sentence if the Parole Board no longer considers him to be a risk and will have to serve an extended licence period.

Recorder Unsworth told McIntyre to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life, which includes a ban on him contacting his victim or her parents.

Description

A qualified masseur sexually assaulted three women after he had been arrested and questioned by police in relation to similar attacks on other women.

Christopher Barnes, 46, was jailed for four years during a hearing on Friday (October 29) at Liverpool Crown Court after a jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting his clients.

One of the victims told Barnes that she hoped that he "rotted in hell" for the damage he had caused her.

Michael Scholes, prosecuting, told the court how Barnes touched the breasts and groins of six women who booked treatment at his Rose Lane clinic.

Barnes of Wellington Street, Garston, had previously groped two women in the space of two months in 2018 at his south Liverpool clinic, leaving them feeling disgusted, vulnerable and frightened.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault weeks before a trial and was handed 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, in June 2019.

But more women then contacted the police to say they too had been sexually abused by Barnes after reading about him in the ECHO.

In total Barnes molested eight women during massages when he abused a position of trust to take advantage of customers suffering from pain and stress.

On Friday Judge Neil Flewitt, QC described how Barnes committed three sexual assaults after being arrested and interviewed by police in April 2018 following claims by two other women.

Judge Flewitt said: "It is also an aggravating feature of this case that you sexually assaulted three women after you had been arrested and interviewed in relation to the allegations made by two other women.

"In addition, the fact that you committed offences against eight different women indicates that these offences were not the product of a momentary lapse of judgement but instead suggests a degree of planning in that you were, in my view, looking out for suitable victims."

Judge Flewitt also pointed out that Barnes used the veneer of his status as a qualified masseur to carry out a string of sexual assaults.

Judge Flewitt said: "I recognise that, when you committed these offences, you were a properly qualified masseur, not a charlatan pretending to have skills which were beyond you.

"However, that fact is of limited value because it means that you were well aware that what you were doing was inappropriate and of no therapeutic value."

Judge Flewitt also addressed the impact Barnes had on his victims when sentencing him.

One victim told the jury: "It felt like parts of it were more for his gratification that what Id agreed to which was a relaxation treatment.

Another victim said: I felt like I was being abused and taken advantage of Im a very proud woman and to be touched in those areas was mortifying for me.

A woman said: It just didnt feel like a massage, it didnt feel like Reiki, it felt like caressing

Sentencing Barnes on Friday Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, said: "You committed offences against eight different women.

"You continue to deny the offences and show little or no remorse.

"Your continued denials increase the risk of harm to lone females."

Judge Flewitt jailed Barnes for four years and told him he would be subject to a sexual offences prevention order when he was released on licence.

Description

A predatory pensioner took vile sexual photographs of a vulnerable schoolgirl.

Roy Rogers' behaviour came to light after one of his victims, a girl who has learning difficulties, told a teacher he had taken naked pictures of her.

Jonathan Rogers, prosecuting, said: "She was concerned and upset and she also disclosed text messages between her and Rogers.

Mr Rogers told Liverpool Crown Court the girl begged Roy Rogers to return the indecent images he had taken of her in a text exchange.

Rogers, 71, of Croyde Road, Speke, refused saying they are special to me and said she had the best t**s in all of Liverpool".

He told his victim that he was "her boyfriend" and went on to say he loved her.

When interviewed the victim said Rogers took a photograph of her when she was naked and while she was wearing a bikini.

Rogers was arrested and various images were found on his mobile phone including a picture of the girls breasts with his hand pulling up the front of her top to expose them.

The sick predator also used Samsung Galaxy Wearable software to turn some of the images into watch faces to be used on a Samsung smart watch.

When interviewed he claimed he had banter with the girl, who he knew had learning difficulties.

In a later interview he said he became infatuated with her and he accepted it was a sexual infatuation".

The girls mum told in an impact statement how her daughter had become very quiet following the offences and the family have trust issues.

Jailing Rogers for three years the judge, Recorder Ian Harris, described him as a predator.

The defendant had pleaded guilty to 12 offences involving engaging in sexual communication, making indecent images, sexual activity, taking indecent images and possessing such images.

Paul Becker, defending, said Rogers has no previous convictions and has health problems. He said it was a serious case but pointed out the physical contact was "minimal".

He said Rogers had pleaded guilty and urged the judge not to jail him so he could take advantage of probation courses which would help protect the public in future.

Recorder Harris ordered the pensioner to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order, both indefinite.

Description

A woman who was raped and strangled in a Liverpool park feared she would never see her kids again.

Tadas Trakselis strangled the sex worker unconscious then raped her and stole the money he paid her.

The victim feared she was going to die and never see her children again before she passed out.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the 25-year-old had punched and beat her after he couldn't get an erection.

Then when she came to and saw him walking off, he mockingly said: "There's dangerous people out there."

The victim was working on Sheil Road, near Newsham Park in Anfield, late on August 22 last year.

Martine Snowdon, prosecuting, said: "She was approached by the defendant, who asked her how much it would be for oral sex. They agreed a price, he gave her 30 and they made their way to some bushes in Newsham Park."

Ms Snowdon said the woman, in her 40s, provided a condom for Trakselis but "he was unable to get an erection".

The victim described drunken Trakselis as being "a bit off", which made her feel uncomfortable, which she told him.

Ms Snowdon said: "It was at that point he grabbed hold of her by the throat and he pushed her to the ground.

"She described how she fought back, though she knew that she shouldn't fight back.

"She then described passing out and waking up, coming to, with the defendant throttling her."

The court heard he told her to "hush" and kept strangling her.

Ms Snowdon said: "At that point she thought she was going to die and she passed out again."

When the victim came around, she found her lower clothing had been pulled down and the money taken from her pocket.

She then saw Trakselis walking off, who said: "There's dangerous people out there."

Ms Snowdon said the victim called a male friend and told him she "had the s*** kicked out of her".

He came to the scene, called the emergency services and took photos of her injuries, which included multiple grazes and bruising to her neck, chest, mouth, jaw, back, shoulders, hips, pelvis and genital area.

A doctor said the injuries to her neck were consistent with strangulation and DNA evidence on her identified Trakselis, whose phone was found nearby by the woman's friend.

Trakselis, of Townsend Lane, Tuebrook, gave a no comment interview but later admitted rape, assault causing actual bodily harm and theft.

He has one conviction in the UK for theft from a car in 2018 and was previously jailed for six years for assault in Lithuania.

The woman said she had suffered violence from men in the past but what happened that night was "something else".

Ms Snowdon said: "In her words she thought she was going to die, she was thinking about her children in that moment and thinking she wouldn't see them again and thinking who could tell them the reason and how they would take it."

The woman who felt "numb and violated", is now reluctant to go out at night and has suffered nightmares.

Ms Snowdon said: "She indicates she will survive as she always has done, but doesn't wish for any other woman to go through what she went through."

Jeremy Hawthorne, defending, said Trakselis' guilty pleas, giving him 25% credit off his sentence, were "pretty much his sole mitigation".

He said: "He's been in the UK for about five years. He's a Lithuanian as the court knows by origin. While he's been here he's been involved in factory and building work, done a little bit of charity work.

"He's someone who had made what, up until now, was a constructive use of the right to come and work in Britain."

Mr Hawthorne said friends of Trakselis sitting in the public gallery had provided a letter in which they said the attack was inconsistent with the man they knew.

However, he said: "It does not disguise the fact this was a terrible offence."

Judge David Aubrey, QC, told Trakselis: "You became agitated and subsequently extremely violent firstly in consequence of the fact that you were unable to obtain an erection.

"What you then subsequently did was grab her by the throat and push her violently to the ground.

"It's quite apparent you began to throttle her and continued to strangle her after you had told her to be quiet.

"When she was endeavouring to fight back, she lost consciousness."

He said a doctor found the woman's injuries were consistent with her being "beaten, punched and strangled".

Judge Aubrey said: "It was during the period of unconsciousness that she was raped."

He referred to the victim being "particularly vulnerable", the "extreme nature" of the attack and the "attitude to sex workers" displayed by Trakselis in a pre-sentence report as he concluded the rapist was "dangerous", as defined in law.

The judge told him that after the rape, "you further humiliated her by stealing some money from her".

He said: "It's to the victim's credit that she had the courage to come forward in order to make the complaint that she has."

Judge Aubrey jailed Trakselis for nine years, with an extended three years on licence.

This type of sentence means Trakselis must serve at least two thirds of the custodial term - six years - behind bars.

He will only be released before the end of the nine years if the Parole Board no longer considers him to be a risk.

Judge Aubrey told Trakselis to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Lisa Milligan from Merseyside Police's Unity team, the specialist rape and serious assault unit, said: "This was an utterly despicable attack and we welcome that Trakselis is now behind bars.

"While no sentence can repair the pain and suffering Trakselis has caused to his victim, I hope that he will reflect on his disgraceful actions while serving this significant jail time.

"I would like to commend the victim for the incredible bravery and courage she has shown in coming forward to report the crime, and for her strength throughout the investigation.

"I hope that this sentence today will reassure anyone who has suffered a sexual offence that, if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us, we will deal with you sensitively and make sure that your report is properly and thoroughly investigated.

"Specialist police officers from our Unity team work side-by-side with a number of partners including Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and the Red Umbrella Project. These organisations work with victims from the moment the police make the referral through to the court case and beyond."

Description

A pensioner who intended to rape a 12-year-old girl took a Viagra tablet and bottle of Blue WKD with him.

William Meehan, then 75, travelled from Kirkby to a swimming pool in Preston to meet up with a girl called "Jess".

In online chats he told Jess she was his "girlfriend" and he wanted to "make love" to her while her mum was away.

But the girl was actually an undercover police officer and when he arrived at the leisure centre, he was arrested.

Meehan appeared in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court today using two crutches, a hearing aid loop and oxygen mask.

The now 76-year-old, of Cawthorne Avenue, Southdene, Kirkby, went by the username "Scouser2020" on chat room Chat Avenue, "BillyKirkby" on messaging app Kik Messenger, and "Billy Meehan" on Skype.

Kenneth Grant, prosecuting, said police found his activity on those platforms revealed a sexual interest in young girls.

On January 15 last year, he started talking with "Jess" on Chat Avenue, when Meehan told her he was 35 and claimed he'd been speaking with other girls "all over England", aged between 11 and 19.

Meehan told Jess he could get "locked up" for speaking to a 13-year-old and she said she was actually 12, before their conversation moved to Kik.

He said he could get locked up for "grooming" and had chatted to a 12-year-old girl from Wigan, who wanted sex for money, but hadn't taken that further.

Mr Grant said: "He stated that he had not had sex 'for ages' as he was a widower."

Meehan said he could easily travel to Preston to pick her up and take her back to his house.

Mr Grant said: "He told her that she did not need to worry about getting pregnant as he had had a vasectomy."

The OAP, who said he worked as a mechanic and drove a Ford Focus, gave Jess his phone number to chat over WhatsApp, before they talked on Skype.

On January 16, he called her "my lovely girlfriend", said he'd bring a bottle of Blue WKD to help her "relax", and that he wanted to "make love" to her, as opposed to just "having sex".

Meehan said: "You tell me the day, time and place and I'll be there."

They arranged to meet at Fulwood Leisure Centre and Meehan told Jess he'd planned the 36-mile journey on his satnav.

On January 21 he assured her he was "absolutely serious", had already bought the WKD and would meet after her mum dropped her off.

After arranging to meet by the vending machines, he drove to the centre on January 23, only to be arrested in the car park.

Mr Grant said police seized his iPhone, the Blue WKD, a bottle opener and glass, and a "Viagra tablet that was recovered from the storage compartment under the steering wheel."

Officer searched his home and found a laptop, which contained 22 extreme porn bestiality files.

When interviewed by police, Meehan said he was going to bring Jess home to "fondle" her, but while he'd said they could "f***", claimed "he was impotent so that could not happen" and the Viagra was for use with a woman he'd been seeing.

When the chat logs were put to him, he moaned: "She dropped the hook and reeled me in."

He also said he didn't want her mum knowing "in case she notified the police".

Meehan admitted two counts of attempted sexual communication with a child and possessing extreme porn.

But he denied attempting to facilitate the commission of a child sex offence until pleading guilty two weeks before a trial.

This was on a basis of plea, rejected by the prosecution, in which he claimed he hadn't intended to have "penetrative sexual intercourse".

That led to a Newton Hearing - a form of mini trial where a judge establishes disputed facts - in which his claim was rejected.

Meehan has past convictions for dishonesty and driving offences, but none since 1973.

Sarah Holt, defending, said her remorseful client was "terrified" of jail and had "absolutely no intention of committing any sort of offence like this ever again".

Ms Holt said: "He has a number of different medical conditions, some of which are significant. That for which he is under the care of Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital could be said to be really quite serious indeed."

Ms Holt said the court process had been a time of "great anxiety and stress", which worsened Meehan's health conditions and led to him being hospitalised.

She said: "It could be said that is entirely his own fault, that would be absolutely accurate, but it's only right your honour knows he stands before the court, a man of 76 years of age, he's thoroughly ashamed and disgusted in himself."

Judge David Swinnerton told Meehan: "You were dishonest in your young days but you were law-abiding from 1973 it seems up until 2020. But in 2020 you committed extremely serious sexual offences and disgraced yourself in your old age."

He added: "You commented I think in your interview and indeed during your evidence to me 'she was nearly 13'. Well, that's absolutely no excuse whatsoever."

The judge said Meehan planned and "thought through" what he would do, telling Jess how to keep it secret from her mum, that he wanted it to be "a long term relationship not just a one off meeting", and bringing the WKD and Viagra.

He said: "I am absolutely sure you intended to take a 12-year-old back home for sexual intercourse.

"You used your impotence as part of why you said 'oh, that was never going to happen'...

"You had a Viagra tablet in the car. That was part of your kit to carry this out."

Meehan shook his head as he was jailed for three years and seven months.

He must sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

Description

A cowardly paedophile who did not have the courage to face a sentencing today was put behind bars for nine years.

HIs victims, who have all been left psychologically scarred by Robert Burns sexual abuse, bravely attended court for the hearing but the Judge Stuart Driver, QC told them: He has not had the courage to come into court to face the truth and face his victims so he will be sentenced in his absence.

Burns, 61, had been brought to Liverpool Crown Court from prison but refused to come into the courtroom from the cells.

The court heard that he has previous convictions including indecent assault in 1990, sexual assault in March 2017 and failing to comply with Sexual Register notification requirements.

Judge Driver ruled him to be a dangerous offender and he imposed an extended five year licence.

He said: He has now been convicted of 15 sexual offences and six offences of breaching the notification requirements.

The judge pointed out that a pre-sentence report spoke of his grooming and predatory behaviour and concludes he poses a high risk of serious harm to children and the public."

Judge Driver said: I agree. He has shown no remorse, he has shown no insight into his behaviour.

Burns, of Fishguard Close, Everton, had been convicted after a trial of 12 offences of indecent assault on five boys ranging in age from six to 15 years.

After imposing the sentences the judge turned to the victims in the public gallery and told them: All that remains is for me to praise the five men who are victims in this case for their courage in coming forward and for the dignity they have shown throughout the case.

During his trial Martine Snowdon, prosecuting, told how Burns gave some of his victims alcohol before abusing them, showered them with money and gifts and showed one of them pornography.

He was found guilty of repeatedly abusing four of the boys and one offence on the other child when he was aged between 13 and 15.

Miss Snowdon said the offences had a significant effect on all five victims, who are now adults, and two of them in particular.

Charlotte Atherton, defending, said Burns still denies the offences against the five boys and the previous sexual offending.

She conceded that one of the victims had been affected particularly badly and feels his personality has been heavily altered by what happened to him.

Miss Atherton said Burns has developed a relationship with a woman he has been caring for and his intention was that they should marry.

She said he had been abused as a child and had behavioural difficulties. He now has health issues and she pointed out that there had been a lengthy delay between his arrest in September 2018 and appearing at the crown court.

Burns was ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life and the judge also imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A paedophile who refused to admit to his crimes, and therefore put his victims through a trial, was today shocked when a judge told him his sentence.

Paul Shields, 45, of Beechwood Drive, Formby was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court of 22 sexual offences involving two female victims.

The offences took place between 2006 and 2011.

Twenty of the offences which included attempted rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault and causing a child to engage in sexual activity involved one of the girls and spanned several years.

The other two offences of sexual assault and causing a child to engage in sexual activity involved the second child.

He had threatened them not to tell anyone but eventually in 2018 they disclosed details of their ordeal and the police were eventually informed.

Shields was jailed for 21 years and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Gerard Doran, defending, said, No doubt he will have a very long time to contemplate these matters. No doubt there will come a time when he can take advantage of services available to him in custody.

I hope that will pay dividends and he will be permitted to return to society.

A judge described Shields as a danger to children as far as serious sexual harm is concerned.

Judge Robert Trevor-Jones told him: You still maintain your innocence still. You completely refuse to admit what you have done.

He pointed out that his denials meant his victims were forced to go through the ordeal of giving evidence before a jury at Liverpool Crown Court.

He added: Both victims refer to the devastating impact on their livesthey talk of the daily impact on them and the affect on their mental health. They have difficulty in trusting people and forming relationships.

Quite clearly it amounts to severe psychological harm. Their feeling is you have destroyed their lives and suffer enduring trauma.

The judge ordered Shields, who looked shocked at the length of sentence, to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Detective Inspector Michelle Wilson said: This is a significant custodial sentence that reflects the gravity of the offences committed by Paul Shields. I am pleased that he will now spend a considerable period of time behind bars for his actions.

I would like to take this opportunity to praise both of his victims for their courage and dignity throughout the whole of this investigation. As Shields pleaded not guilty they were forced to endure giving evidence in court.

I hope that the severity of the sentence handed out today gives them an opportunity to finally move on with their lives knowing that Shields is behind bars where he cannot cause hurt to anyone else.

Merseyside Police is committed to protecting victims of sexual offences.

We know how difficult it can be for people to come forward and report incidents but I want to reassure anyone who reports an incident to us will be safeguarded and supported throughout the investigation.

We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.

Description

A mum-of-two was horrified to discover that her partner was a convicted child sex offender.

The woman made inquiries with police in April this year after Andrew Edgson had vanished from her life and she learnt he was in prison.

She told them she had been in a relationship with him for 18 months and did not know why he was in jail.

Putting 38-year-old Edgson behind bars for 12 months the judge, Recorder David Knifton, QC, said: The police notified her, to her utter shock and distress, that you had been convicted and sentenced for serious sexual offences upon a child.

She disclosed that between the date of your conviction - of which she was unaware - and date of sentence - of which she was unaware - you had been living with her and her children.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that he had formed a relationship with the woman in 2019 and it became serious and he moved into her Bootle home.

In December last year he disappeared but a few days later he rang her from prison claiming he was in a police station "sorting something out."

The judge said: You again misled her about your whereabouts and the circumstances of your detention.

She was horrified to discover that you had been convicted of a serious sexual offence you had not told her about and clearly thought, with some justification, that the only purpose of that failure to disclose such a conviction was to continue your relationship with her and her children.

These failures by you to disclose to her the true circumstances led to her to feel anxious and distressed. She has contemplated moving house because you know where she and her children live.

She feels utterly betrayed by someone she describes as dangerously manipulative.

Recorder Knifton told him: You flagrantly breached the registration scheme from the outset.

Edgson, of no fixed address, but formerly of Huyton, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with registration requirements under Sexual Offences provisions.

Chris Taylor, prosecuting, said that Edgson was jailed for 14 months in December 2020 for the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl in early 2019.

Under the terms of the Sexual Offences Register he had to tell police where he was living but he failed to reveal he was living with the woman and her two children following his release.

Jim Smith, defending, said that Edgsons actions had been selfish and stupid and committed because he did not his relationship with the new partner destroyed.

Description

A sexual deviant who propositioned a 13-year-old boy online was caught out as the child was actually an under-cover officer.

Mathew Cowley already had a conviction for sexually abusing a school boy and was banned from communicating with under 16-year-olds but it did not deter him.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that while a five year Sexual Harm Prevention Order was hanging over him Cowley got in touch via a chat room with someone he thought was a 13-year-old boy on August 5 this year.

He said he was 29 years old and then in conversation said he was 34 and asked if the boy thought he was too old for him and told him what he liked to do sexually.

Cowley told him, I dont mind first timers as long as its a secret, said Chris Hopkins, prosecuting.

The officer again told him that he was 13 and went to school and Cowley replied, So you are a virgin, thats better.

The next day Cowley again initiated an online conversation with him and told him he lived in Kensington and gave him his mobile number and the chat moved to WhatsApp.

He described the boy as fit as f**k and said he fancied him.

The officer asked if he could trust him with his secrets and he replied, No-one will ever know what we do and it is totally secret.

He was arrested three days later and made admissions in interview.

The court heard that the 37-year-old defendant was jailed for three years in September 2016 for penetrative sexual activity with a 14-year-old boy he met via Skype.

After grooming him they met at a train station and then went to a cemetery where sexual activity took place.

The Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) was made but the court was told that it had now expired and the charge he had now admitted did not allow for a new one to be made by the judge.

Mr Hopkins said that the police would have to apply to the magistrates court for a new order to be made.

Jailing Cowley, of Shiel Road, Kensington, for two and a half years Judge David Aubrey, QC, said, In my judgement you are a sexual deviant and in my judgement you are a paedophile and attracted to under-age boys. And regretfully you have not learnt your lesson since the sentence of three years imprisonment imposed in September 2016.

He said that he did not lose sight of issues in his life, adding, It may well be that you are a sad and lonely man.

The judge ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and said, The police I have no doubt will be instigating an application for a Sexual Harm PreventionOrder in the lower court designed to protect others from you.

In my judgement they need such protection and hopefully it will seek to deter you albeit regretfully the order now expired did not achieve such ideals by deterring you.

Anthony ODonohoe, defending, said that Cowley had pleaded guilty to the offences of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and breaching a SHPO.

He suffers from anxiety and depression and I get the impression he is an isolated individual. He was living in rented accommodation with a rat infestation problem in Shiel Road and has no communication with is family or friends.

He feels he would be benefit from having a settled adult relationship which would perhaps put him more on the straight and narrow.

Mr ODonohoe said that a pre-sentence report says that Cowley presents a high risk of sexual offending but the defendant hopes to engage with any help and courses available to him in prison.

He is not an unintelligent man and understands if there is further offending of this nature or breaches of orders that he will bring upon his own shoulders ever lengthening custodial sentences.

Description

A twisted paedophile lured one of his victims to a fake party at a high-rise flat and then raped her.

Peter Robinson targeted another girl after tricking her into his car and driving her to a secluded spot where he only broke off his attacks so he could have a cigarette.

He helped to cover up his horrific crimes by telling his vulnerable schoolgirl victims that, should they speak out, he would get social services to make their lives a misery.

Robinson appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced for one count of indecent assault, eight counts of rape and three counts of the rape of a child under the age of 13.

The 56-year-old, a dad himself, had been convicted of the offences following a trial that concluded earlier this week.

Today, prosecutor Charlotte Kenny outlined how Robinson exploited vulnerable young girls during a sustained period of offending.

As well as raping his victims he also played on their fears and insecurity, securing their silence with threats, humiliating them and preying on their anxiety with degrading comments.

He told one of the girls that "nobody liked her" in what Ms Kenny suggested was a bid to socially isolate her.

The barrister read out powerful impact statements on behalf of each of his victims, now adults, who described suffering flashbacks and nightmares as a result of his crimes.

On behalf of one of the women, Ms Kenny said: "Sometimes the flashbacks are so horrendous she is physically sick... Peter Robinson will never realise just how much what he did has impacted on my whole life. I feel lost and scared due to what he put me through."

Another explained: "In the end, Peter Robinson left me feeling like a piece of meat. I felt powerless and angry."

His other victim detailed in her statement: "The horrible memories will never leave me."

Anthony O'Donohoe, defending, said his client had no previous convictions and that his family is "devastated" by the convictions.

He added: "He is aware that the inevitable custodial sentence will be a long one."

Judge Denis Watson, QC, described how Robinson deceived his victims on multiple occasions and, of his claims he would involve social services in their lives should they speak out, he said: "This was a calculated, cruel and very effective threat."

Judge Watson added that the offences "leave me in no doubt there is severe psychological harm here... they all experienced long term psychological harm as a result of the offending".

Robinson, of Dunnerdale Road in Norris Green, was sentenced to a total of 23 years in jail. He will have to serve half of that sentence before he can apply for release.

His convictions for the rape of a child under the age of 13 mean that, legally, he is considered an offender of special concern.

As a result, when he is released from jail he will serve an extended period on licence made up of whatever remains of the 23 year sentence plus an extra 12 months.

Robinson was all made the subject of indefinite restraining orders against each of his victims and of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

After delivering his sentence Judge Watson thanked those in the public gallery for the dignity they had displayed during the hearing.

Description

A paedophile who played sick games with a young girl had the smile wiped off his face at court.

Michael Carr repeatedly sexually abused the child when she was aged between six and 11 and he was aged 17 to 23.

He indecently assaulted the girl, who had to take off clothes if she lost at cards and was made to dance for him in her underwear.

The 57-year-old, of Station Road, Maghull, smiled and grinned when he appeared at Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing via video link.

He was supported in the public gallery by family members, one of whom stormed out when the impact of the abuse on the victim was described, while Carr shook his head.

However, Carr stopped smiling when he was jailed for eight years and told he must serve two thirds of the sentence behind bars.

During a trial in August, a jury heard how one game Carr played with the girl involved her running up to him, when he would pick her up and lift her in the air.

However, one time he made her take her underwear off and indecently assaulted her when he held her aloft.

Sarah Holt, prosecuting, said Carr would make the girl open and close her legs, before touching her genitalia.

She said he also played card games with her such as snap, which involved items of clothing being removed.

He would take the girl for walks to an area known locally as "The Boards" and to "The Ralla", where she liked to make dens.

Ms Holt said once she had made a den and was excited and wanted to show him, but he exposed himself to her.

He then took the girl's hand and placed it on his penis, telling her to stroke it and asking: "Does that feel nice?"

Carr asked the girl to dance to music, then said he wanted to see her dance in her knickers, because "he could see her better like that".

Ms Holt said he also told the child to lie down for a "hug", but "put himself against her and pulled her shorts down".

The court heard he would kiss her on the cheek or turn her face towards him, so he could kiss her on the lips.

Ms Holt said there was also an occasion when the girl was older when he approached her from behind, put his hand on her back and tried to pull her bra strap, but she told him "no, I don't like it" and told him to leave.

The abuse came to light in 2019, when the woman contacted police and told officers Carr had abused her when she was a young child.

When interviewed by police, Carr denied ever touching his victim sexually and said the allegations were "disgusting".

However, he accepted that as an adult she had confronted him several times and accused him of being a paedophile.

Ms Holt told the jury: "He said that he hadnt reported this as he didn't want to cause any hassle."

Carr, who had no previous convictions, was found guilty of seven counts of indecent assault.

In a victim statement, the woman described how she had been forced to live with the impact of the abuse on a daily basis.

The woman said she suffered from "bad anxiety" and "severe panic attacks", when she struggles to breathe, which can be "triggered by the slightest things" and particularly certain smells and playing cards.

She described self-harming, suffering from eating disorders, "vivid nightmares", feelings of vulnerability and fear, and how "I've often thought what's the point of being here anymore".

The woman said: "When I'm close with partners, I see Michael's face looking back at me."

The victim, who has undergone counselling, said: "I'm happy that after 40 years Michael is facing the consequences of his actions and justice is being served. However, this will never change the devastation he has left behind."

Brendan Carville, defending, said: "The defendant of course still denies the offences and I'm not able to comment in any way at all on the findings of the jury."

He said Carr hadn't been in trouble since these offences, which showed he could rehabilitate himself, and that at the age of 59 he would find his first time in prison "devastating".

Judge David Swinnerton told Carr: "You're 59 years of age. You've got no previous convictions, but what that reveals is to some extent you've been living a lie for the last 30 years, because people have treated you as a man of good character."

He said Carr had "sexualised" typical childhood games, such as when he threw her up and indecently assaulted her.

The judge said when playing snap, who lost "had to take a piece of clothing off".

He added: "You played that with that young child."

The victim first told her mum years previously Carr had touched her and it was "wrong", but at the time didn't feel able to disclose the abuse in full.

Judge Swinnerton said the victim also talked to a friend about the abuse over the years, who described her breaking down in tears.

He said: "Though this was a long time ago Mr Carr, and though it's difficult for any man to face the first custodial sentence of his life at the age of 59 as Mr Carville said, you've had a devastating effect on the life of your victim for the last 30-odd years, and that's a continuing and ongoing impact, and serious impact on her."

Judge Swinnerton told Carr to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Description

A man sexually assaulted a woman then begged her not to tell the police in text messages the next day.

James Navickas performed a sex act on his victim, which she previously told him she found the idea of "abhorrent".

A judge said the 28-year-old, of Joules Close, Walton, sexually assaulted her when she was "particularly vulnerable".

Judge Stuart Driver, QC, said: "Because she was so drunk, she was incapable of giving informed consent."

Liverpool Crown Court heard Navickas and the woman had both gone out drinking together before the attack.

Frank Dillon, prosecuting, said witnesses described her as being eight or nine out of 10 on a scale of drunkenness.

He said the woman had made plain to him previously that she found the idea of a type of sex "abhorrent".

Mr Dillon said they went to Navickas' home but she felt "very drunk" and went to bed, only to wake the next day in pain, with a "hazy" memory.

The court heard she remembered Navickas performing sex acts on her and her saying to him: "What the hell are you doing?"

The victim reported what happened to a friend and a family member, before she and Navickas exchanged text messages. He said the woman had made plain to him previously that she found the idea of a type of sex "abhorrent".

Mr Dillon said they went to Navickas' home but she felt "very drunk" and went to bed, only to wake the next day in pain, with a "hazy" memory.

The court heard she remembered Navickas performing sex acts on her and her saying to him: "What the hell are you doing?"

The victim reported what happened to a friend and a family member, before she and Navickas exchanged text messages.

Navickas said "I hope you're feeling better" and she replied "I remember what you did, don't deny it".

He replied: "I'm so sorry, f***ing idiot me."

The woman said "that's absolutely disgusting" and he responded: "I know, I don't even know what came over me, can't even say anything because there was no reason for me to do it."

She replied "it's like rape, just putting it bluntly like", to which he said: "There's no other way to put it, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry."

The woman continued "I don't know what to say, like what the actual f***", before adding: "It's not like rape, it is rape."

Navickas replied "I know, I don't know what came over me" before the woman told him she was "scared" of him.

The woman later said: "You sexually assaulted me and I will be taking it further. You're dangerous and me keeping it quiet is making it acceptable."

Navickas said: "Please, I'm asking you, as the last thing I will ever say to you, please can you not take it further, I'm looking to get help as soon as possible and speak to a therapist."

Mr Dillon said Navickas was arrested and gave a "no comment" interview when first spoken to by the police, at which stage the text messages were not available.

However, the texts were put to him in a second interview, when he "by and large admitted his wrongdoing", but denied performing the sex act she found abhorrent and denied that his victim was so drunk she didn't know what she was doing.

He later admitted sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration.

Mr Dillon summarised a victim personal statement, in which the woman explained how she suffered from anxiety, depression and panic attacks, feels "she is not in control of anything anymore", and has "a feeling of shame that won't go away".

He said: "She has thoughts of not being here anymore - in other words, suicidal thoughts."

The woman, who regularly broke down and cried, said she felt like "a nervous wreck", which affected her social life and work.

Mr Dillon said the victim still suffers from anxiety and that she explained: "It's really hard. It never goes away - it's always on my mind."

Anthony O'Donohoe, defending, said Navickas indicated guilty pleas at the earliest opportunity and made "substantial admissions" in the second interview.

He said alcohol had been a "disinhibitor" for Navickas, who on that night had been drinking to excess and had "deficits in his consequential thinking skills".

Mr O'Donohoe said: "Had he stepped back, I daresay he never would have engaged in the activity that he did."

The barrister said Navickas, of previous good character, had a job and was working towards a managerial position.

He urged the judge to impose a sentence of two years or less in prison, which could be suspended, accompanied by "stringent" requirements to address his client's problems.

Mr O'Donohoe said: "This man clearly has the highest prospects of rehabilitation and is unlikely to ever darken the door of a court again."

Judge Driver said mitigating features of Navickas' case included his "previous good character", references which spoke "highly" of him, and his good employment record.

Jailing him for three and a half years, he said: "You showed genuine remorse by immediately confessing in text messages afterwards."

Judge Driver told Navickas to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life and also made a restraining order to protect his victim.

Description

A paedophile nurse who downloaded baby rape images was spared jail after a court heard he had "lost everything".

Married dad-of-four Christopher Ewan, 45, used to work at the A&E department at Aintree hospital in Fazakerley.

During lockdown he downloaded more than 100 child rape files, plus extreme porn images showing bestiality.

Liverpool Crown Court today heard that after his sick crimes came to light, his family's home in Netherton was targeted by vigilantes, forcing his innocent wife and children to flee.

Ewan's lawyer explained how "in every sense the defendant has suffered significantly - but it's all down to him".

Police were informed of "suspicious activity" relating to a Sky broadband account and messaging app Kik Messenger last summer.

Officers raided Ewan's former home in Musker Drive, Netherton on June 26, 2020 and seized his Samsung mobile phone.

When he was interviewed by the police, Ewan denied any knowledge of any indecent material.

But the device was found to contain 137 Category A files - the most serious category involving child rape - consisting of 127 photos and 10 videos.

There were 217 Category B images, 130 Category C files, one prohibited "cartoon" image and 21 extreme porn images, downloaded between March 3 and June 23 last year.

Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, said: "A lot of them were thumbnail images but they did find evidence of saving these images on the device. There was a secure folder, which had suspicious activity on it."

He said it was to be "noted" that one Category A image showed a female baby aged six to 12 months and one Category A video, around 24 minutes long, featured children aged eight, seven and four.

Mr Hopkins added: "So of their type, they are particularly serious images in the Crown's submission."

Ewan admitted three counts of downloading and one count of possessing indecent images of children, plus possessing a prohibited image of a child and extreme porn.

In a pre-sentence report, Ewan claimed he didn't intentionally download the images or do it for sexual gratification, but he has since confessed that isn't true.

Desmond Lennon, defending, said: "He unreservedly accepts deliberately downloading this material. He also accepts at the time there was a sexual interest in children and the notes indicate, being pressed, accepts it remains."

Mr Lennon said Ewan was married for 19 years with four children, but developed an interest in adult porn, which the dad described as "thrill seeking".

He said his client had been off work due to "stress" and his interest in adult porn progressed to viewing child sex abuse images.

Mr Lennon said if Ewan was spared jail, he could receive "the assistance he perhaps now belatedly recognises that he needs".

The lawyer said: "He understands how it's not only affected him, but people who are very important to him, his wife and children.

"His wife has left him, the marriage is over and his four children have been taken away from him."

Mr Lennon said when Ewan's crimes first became public knowledge, it had a "catastrophic effect" on the family, who then lived in Netherton.

He said: "The home was vandalised, bricks were thrown through the window, paint was thrown at the front door and people congregated outside, behaving in an intimidating way. The effect on his children in particular has been devastating."

Mr Lennon said his children had now moved, Ewan hadn't seen them since July and he only spoke to them "intermittently".

A letter from The Walton Centre said Ewan had muscular degenerative issues and was currently deemed incapable of working by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Mr Lennon said Ewan was an engineer before retraining as a nurse at the age of 30 and had worked in A&E "conscientiously" since 2010.

He said: "His fall in terms of his professional life he described to me this morning as catastrophic. His nursing career is over."

The barrister said Ewan wouldn't be allowed to practise as a nurse again and would "inevitably" be struck off.

He said: "It's all down to him. He has lost everything in real terms."

Mr Lennon suggested his client, who felt "shame, regret and disgust", could be rehabilitated in the community.

Judge Anil Murray told Ewan: "You were of previous good character. More than that, more than just having no previous convictions, you were of positive good character and worked as a professional person.

"By this offending you have thrown all that away."

He added: "Your offending has had a terrible effect on your family."

The judge said sentencing guidelines indicated a starting point of 12 months in prison, but he had to increase this because of the "particularly serious" Category A images, before giving Ewan a discount of one third off his sentence, for his early guilty pleas.

Judge Murray said by law he had to consider guidelines on whether this sentence should be served immediately, and because Ewan had no history of poor compliance with court orders, was thought to have a realistic prospect of rehabilitation, and jailing him would have "some significant impact" on his family, he was "able, but only just, to suspend the sentence in this case".

He handed Ewan 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, with a 40-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

The judge said he wouldn't make a "punitive element" to the order as Ewan wasn't suitable for unpaid work, adding: "There is no point in ordering a curfew when your interest is sitting inside looking at a computer."

Ewan must sign the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.