Latest Offenders Warrington

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Description

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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A paedophile was caught after a camera he had hidden in toilets at an Air Training Corps (ATC) centre was found.

The police investigation that followed saw Andrew Thompson, 32, from Great Sankey, Warrington, admit to sexually abusing several boys.

He also amassed thousands of images of children, some taken at a school he worked in as a teaching assistant.

Thompson was jailed for eight years at Chester Crown Court on Monday, after pleading guilty to 33 offences.

In July 2022 a member of staff at the ATC centre at which Thompson volunteered discovered the hidden camera.

'Sexual predator'

Police forensics experts found thousands of images of children on it, as well as footage of the man installing the device.

The man was identified as Thompson, of Rossall Road in Great Sankey, Warrington.

He was arrested on 23 December 2022, and police found other electronic devices that contained a number of images of children. These included images taken by Thompson at the ATC centre and the school.

Officers spoke to a number of children known to Thompson, some of whom revealed he had sexually assaulted them. Thompson was re-arrested and charged in September, 2023.

In court he pleaded guilty to nine counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13, 19 counts of voyeurism, two counts of making (downloading) indecent images of children, two counts of creating indecent images, and one count of possessing indecent images.

On top of his prison sentence, Thompson was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life, is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), and was handed restraining orders prohibiting him from contacting his victims.

Cheshire Police Det Insp Simon Mills, from Cheshire Police, described Thompson as a "sexual predator".

He said: "He abused his position and it's clear that he had no regards for his victims, his only concern was to fulfil his own sexual gratification."

Description

A DISGUSTING sex offender has been jailed after exchanging sexual messages with a girl he believed to be 12.

Louis Smith, 37, was caught out by a group of online paedophile hunters exchanging messages of a sexual nature with a ’12-year-old-girl’ he met online.

Smith appeared at Liverpool Crown Court to be sentenced for one count of ‘intentionally causing a child to look at an image of a person engaging in sexual activity’ and another of ‘attempting to engage in sexual communicate with a child by sending indecent images of himself’.

Prosecuting, Henry Riding told the court how the 37-year-old had begun talking to ‘Grace’ in late 2022 and said the conversation had initially not been sexual. In this initial chat, he was told the girl he was talking to was 12.

The man had been serving a suspended sentence when he first contacted the fake account,

Smith, of Goldcliff Close, Callands, began talking to ‘Grace’ again eight months later in August 2023 – talking to the hunters’ decoy account for just over a week.

In this week, he sent various sexually explicit messages to her, including pictures of himself, and made further sexual requests of ‘Grace’, asking her to send him photos or videos.  

He was then confronted and apprehended by the paedophile hunting group, and later arrested.

Defending Smith, Emily Calman told the court how the Goldcliff Close resident had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

Ms Calman also went on to stress, ‘He has never done anything like this before’ but admitted ‘this was a nasty offence’.

She also added that, whilst he did not deny the offence, he had been drinking and taking ‘substances’ heavily following a death in the family. This has, according to Ms Calman, been resolved.

Judge Trevor Jones, presiding over the case, said that while Smith had pleaded guilty, he was ‘still minimising his culpability’ according to a pre-sentence report.

He went on to state that the report had assigned a medium risk of reoffending to the 37-year-old man.

Judge Jones gave out a sentence of two years for the most serious offence, reduced to 14 months due to the guilty plea and the fact it was ‘only an attempt’. Smith also received 10 months for the second offence, to be served concurrently.

He will serve an immediate custodial sentence and will be placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

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A PAEDOPHILE previously jailed for grooming a vulnerable boy has been hauled back to court for breaching the terms of his sex offender register requirements.

The conditions were imposed on Terence Grant-Hanlon after her sexually assaulted the child in the 1990s.

The 48-year-old, now of Warrington, appeared before Warrington Magistrates’ Court charged with failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements and obstructing a police officer.

The court heard from Joseph Kindley, prosecuting the case, how this breach occurred in Warrington on November 2.

Grant-Hanlon failed without reasonable excuse to comply with his notification requirements in that he failed to notify Cheshire Police of his current home address.

Then on November 7, he Obstructed a Cheshire Police officer constable in the execution of his duty.

The defendant was ordered to sign the sex offender register for life when he was jailed for 11 years at Liverpool Crown Court in May 2015.

The paedophile was found guilty of molesting the child when he was aged between 11 and 14 in the 1990s.

Grant-Hanlon, who was found guilty of 12 counts of sexual offences including indecent assault, exploited the child by giving him ‘lots of attention, sweets and presents’.

The defendant, of Suez Street in Warrington town centre, pleaded guilty to the two counts he faced before magistrates in Warrington.

As a result, he was sentenced to a 12-month community order, including 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He was also fined £50 and ordered to pay both costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £120 and a surcharge to fund victim services of £114.

Description

A CREEP came close to being determined a ‘dangerous offender’ after a predatory sexual assault on a vulnerable woman in her own home.

Kamen Smith, from Warrington, also launched a nasty attack on the woman’s boyfriend after he learnt of what had happened.

The 29-year-old was released under investigation by police, during which time he was caught peddling class A drugs in Warrington.

Having already been sentenced and jailed for the drug matters, he has now learnt his fate for his prior offending.

Smith appeared before Liverpool Crown Court, via video-link from HM Prison Liverpool, to be sentenced for charges of sexual assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage.

The case was opened by prosecutor David Polglase who explained how each of the offences occurred in the summer of 2021.

The defendant admitted the assault and criminal damage charges but denied the sexual assault, however he was convicted by a jury.

The evening prior to the offences, Smith had been drinking in St Helens, in the Black Bull pub in Eccleston and Bird I’th Hand pub on Prescot Road.

He then headed into the town's centre and ‘did not have much luck’ getting into other licenced venues, including Kandy Klub on Westfield Street.

By around 4am, having left the town centre, he was in the home of a woman and her boyfriend when events unfolded.

When the boyfriend was outside smoking, and while the woman was ‘tired and worse for wear with drink’, Smith sexually assaulted her.

The court heard how she was ‘seven out of 10 in terms of drunkenness’ and was taken advantage of by the defendant who ‘began to molest her’, despite her trying to dissuade him and stating she was not interested in his advances.

The boyfriend sensed something was not right, and he was later told what had happened by his girlfriend, leading to a confrontation.

Smith threw a punch and began to attack the male victim, having chased him outside, and he also damaged his car by kicking it, causing scuff marks and snapping the wingmirror.

As the victim fell to the floor, the attack continued with Smith repeatedly striking him to the face and head and kicking him to the back.

“The defendant said he would kill him and would not stop until he did,” Mr Polglase told the court, adding that the victim required a facial cut to be glued in hospital.

An impact statement prepared by the female victim was summarised, with the prosecutor stating how she still struggles to come to terms with what happened, with her mental health also impacted.

She struggles with sleep and suffers nightmares, and she does not feel safe in her home and when people walk past and knock on the door.

Mr Polglase revealed that Smith has previous convictions, including for assaulting an emergency worker and for public order offences.

While released under investigation for these offences, he also committed drug dealing offences in Warrington on April 6, 2022, and was convicted of possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

He was subsequently jailed for 28 months by judge David Swinnerton at Liverpool Crown Court on May 24 this year.

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing took place on June 19, where an application to withdraw proceedings by prosecutor Rebecca Smith was approved by recorder Michael Blakey.

Orders were approved for the forfeiture and destruction of drugs and a mobile phone confiscated from him on his arrest, as well as for the confiscation of £150 found in his possession, which was donated to the court’s nominated charity of the month, East Liverpool RDA.

In defence of the defendant, Jeremy Smith described the events as ‘unpleasant’

“He has mental health, alcohol and drug problems – a very giddy cocktail of issues with this defendant, and he needs to address them,” he said.

“One reassuring matter is that he is coping and thriving in prison. The regime seems to suit him.”

In his sentencing remarks, judge Denis Watson said: “She was vulnerable in her own home, and the effect on her has been significant.

“It is not necessary for an extended determinate sentence. I have come close to determining you are a dangerous offender, but that would be me stretching the circumstances to reach that conclusion.

Smith, of Molyneux Avenue in Bewsey, was sentenced to four years in prison, which will run consecutive to his drug dealing sentence, meaning it will start when his current sentence ends.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offender register for life and abide by a restraining order not to contact or approach the female victim for the next six years.

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A PENSIONER is now banned from travelling alone on buses at certain times of the day after inappropriately touching a girl.

Malcolm Leather was the subject of a police CCTV appeal for information earlier this year following the disturbing incident.

The 69-year-old was identified and brought to justice after being sentenced at Warrington Magistrates’ Court.

Prosecutor Yvonne Dobson informed the court how the defendant was charged with assault of a girl under 13 by touching.

At sometime between 3pm and 3.30pm on Friday, February 17, a 12-year-old girl was travelling on the number three bus between Warrington Bus Station and the Manchester Road bus stop next to Beresford Street.

During the journey, an unknown man inappropriately touched her leg with his hand.

As stated in the charge to which he indicated a guilty plea, Leather intentionally touched the girl, with the touching being sexual.

Cheshire Police officers investigating the incident subsequently issued CCTV images of a suspect they wanted to speak to.

They said at the time that the incident was believed to be isolated and that they had been conducting a number of enquiries to trace the person responsible.

PC John Riley said: “I want to be clear that we are doing all we can to locate the person responsible and do believe this to be an isolated incident.

“We have a number of enquiries ongoing and as part of these we are now appealing for assistance to identify the man in the CCTV as we believe he may have vital information to assist us with our investigation.

“I would also appeal to the man himself to please come forward.”

After pleading guilty, Leather, of Samuel Street in Sankey Bridges, was sentenced by deputy district judge Angharad Davies to an 18-month community order.

This includes 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days, while he must also pay a fine of £120, costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £120 and a surcharge to fund victim services of £114.

In addition, he must sign the sex offender register for the next five years and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.

One prohibition in the latter bans him from travelling alone on public transport, namely buses and trains, between the hours of 7.30am and 9.30am, and from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.

The order states that travelling within these times, Leather must be accompanied at all times by a support worker or other adult expressly approved by social services.

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A PERVERT has been put behind bars for his vile chats with someone he believed to be a young teenager.

Daniel Kelly engaged in sexual discussions with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl and encouraged her to send raunchy photos.

But the 36-year-old was in fact talking to an adult member of a paedophile hunter group, with members confronting him in public.

The defendant was later charged with attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and two counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity.

He appeared before Liverpool Crown Court to be sentenced, with the court hearing how the discussions took place in June last year.

Kelly, as an adult, intentionally attempted to communicate with someone he did not reasonably believe to be 16 or over for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.

He thought he was speaking with a 13-year-old girl, but it was actually an adult member of a paedophile hunter group seeking to root out offenders using the internet to satisfy their sexual interest in children.

During the online chats, he requested nude photographs from the child, referred to her as being sexy and sent her a photograph of himself in his underwear.

The defendant was confronted by members of the Saving Our Children Online paedophile hunter group at Patten Arms Hotel.

They discussed his online activity with him before Cheshire Police arrived and officers put him into the back of a police car.

Kelly, of Wrexham Close in Callands, was sentenced by recorder David Knifton to 30 months immediate imprisonment.

He was also issued with a sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offender register both for a period of 10 years.

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A paedophile who amassed an enormous collection of child sex abuse pictures and videos sobbed as he appeared in Liverpool Crown Court yesterday.

Callum Latimer, 23, was caught with 165 indecent images and videos - including 58 of the most serious category A - on his phone following a police tip-off on November 30 last year. He also had 1,578 prohibited images of children.

Chat logs on his Samsung device also showed Latimer requesting indecent images of Japanese manga-style underage girls.

At Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, August 16, prosecutor Christopher Hopkins said images found on Latimer's phone showed young girls aged between three and 10-years-old.

Latimer, of Keswick Crescent in Warrington, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, possessing indecent images of children, and possessing prohibited images.

Anthony O'Donohoe, defending, said his client was of previously good character with no previous convictions. The court also heard the 23-year-old had "a number of significant neurodiverse conditions".

Judge Andrew Menary, sentencing, said: "It's plain that for a time you were active online soliciting or talking to others about these images and you acquired these images. They involve the serious abuse of very young children and it's for that reason people who possess these images and look for them in this way are encouraging this evil trade."

However, he decided not to impose an immediate prison sentence, saying: "A more constructive option would be to give you support within the community from the probation service."

Latimer cried as he was sentenced to a total of six months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He was ordered to complete the Horizon programme for sex offenders, and carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. He was placed on the sex offenders register and given a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

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A PAEDOPHILE has been locked up by the courts for his depraved online sex chats with someone he believed to be a child.

Simon Bright believed he was communicating in a sexual manner with a 12-year-old girl.

The 50-year-old engaged in disgusting communications with her, telling the girl how he wanted to be her boyfriend and take a shower with her.

But he was actually talking to an adult operating a decoy profile in a bid to root out online offenders with a sexual interest in children.

After being caught, Bright was charged with attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

The case of the prosecution was outlined by Max Saffman, who explained to Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, July 25, how the offences occurred over a four-day period between August 25 and 28 last year.

The defendant admitted, through his guilty plea to the charge, intentionally attempting to communicate with a 12-year-old girl for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.

He asked the ‘girl’ if she had a boyfriend and if she would like him to be her boyfriend, as well as telling her he wished he could join her in the shower.

Bright also asked her for photographs, asked her if she fancied him and asked her to talk sexually with him.

In addition, the defendant encouraged the ‘child’ to perform a sex act on herself and photograph herself doing so to send to him.

Bright, of Poplars Avenue in Orford, pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced by judge Simon Berkson to 28 months in prison.

He was also made the subject of sex offender registration and notification requirements for 10 years and a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time.

In addition, the court approved an order for the forfeiture and destruction of his mobile phone seized by police.

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A PAEDOPHILE cried in the dock as the court heard how he encouraged a ‘teen’ to perform a sex act on herself and asked for pictures of her boobs.

Daniel Razak believed he was talking with a 13-year-old girl when he ‘quickly’ turned the conversation sexual.

But it was actually an undercover police officer from the child sex abuse unit whose role is to identify offenders with sexual interests in children.

Razak, of Mendip Avenue, Orford, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child, attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity and possession of cannabis.

Prosecuting, Alaric Walmsley said that last year, Cheshire Police received information that between September 5 and September 8, the defendant had engaged in sexual conversation with who he believed with a 13-year-old girl on Kik Messenger.

Mr Walmsley told the court how the defendant quickly sexualised the conversation with ‘Poppy’ – who was actually an undercover police officer that had selected a ‘teen chat mode’.

The 33-year-old sent Poppy, who he told he was 19, pornographic images and encouraged her to perform a sex act on herself.

He also added her on Snapchat.

After four days, the pair stopped communicating and Razak was arrested at a later date.

His Samsung phone was seized, and although no pictures of videos of child sex abuse were found, Razak’s search history showed terms such as ‘jail bait girl’ and ‘jail bait girl Twitter’.

The pornographic images he had sent to Poppy were also found on his phone, and cannabis was found on his living room table.

During a police interview, Razak, who is a dad, told officers he did not ‘fully understand’ why he had behaved in this way and that he did not believe he was attracted to children.

Mr Walmsley said that Razak has no previous convictions.

Defending, Simon Christie said how his client ‘had the sense’ to stop communicating with Poppy.

He said: “Those conversations started on September 5 and stopped on September 8, long before he could have known of any police interest.”

The court heard how Razak is ‘deeply remorseful’ for his behaviour and feels shame.

Mr Christie also said how is client is a man of previous good character who works full time and supports his family.

Concluding, judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: “You initiated the contact with her and quickly sexualised the conversation.

“These are serious matters.

“I do accept you are exhibiting a significant degree of remorse.”

Razak was handed a 20-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

He must also complete up to 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 160 hours of unpaid work.

The court also ordered Razak to sign the sex offender register for 10 years and he is also subjected to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.