Good evening, here are the headlines from the Liverpool ECHO on Thursday (March 31).
Paedophile, 41, collected nearly 2,000 child sex abuse pics
A paedophile who collected nearly 2,000 child sex abuse images was today told he could face prison.
James Mercer, 41, was handed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) in 2013 after he was caught downloading indecent images of children. The 10-year order prevented him from accessing the internet unless he retained the browsing history and made it available for inspection by police.
Liverpool Crown Court today heard when officers performed a routine check on his computer equipment as part of the SOPO, they discovered a vile stash of indecent material. Mercer, of Ashburn Avenue, Tower Hill, Kirkby, later admitted possessing 1,997 indecent images of children, which according to the charge he downloaded between May 16, 2018 and March 17, 2021.
He pleaded guilty to downloading 368 Category A images - the most serious category involving child rape - plus 323 Category B and 1,306 Category C files. Mercer also admitted possessing seven prohibited [cartoon or animated] images of a child.
Read the full story here.
Map of Liverpool set for huge change with 71 new areas and different names
The map of Liverpool is set to drastically change, with people set to find themselves living in parts of the city with new names and new boundaries.
In December, the ECHO reported on the initial proposals for a drastic reshaping of Liverpool's electoral map - which divides the city up into ward areas, which are all represented by elected councillors. The remapping of the city is one key aspect of Liverpool's improvement journey following the damning government inspection which revealed huge failings at the city council last year.
Following Max Caller's historically bad inspection report, the council was told it must redraw its city boundaries, reduce the number of elected councillors and change when it holds elections. Mr Caller's recommendations called for a new system where the majority of wards in the city are represented by a single elected member, rather than the current system that sees three councillors represent each of 30 city wards.
It was also decided the council will move to all out elections every four years, starting in 2023 - which is when the new ward map will come into play and that there should be a reduction in the total number of councillors representing the city. The initial ward map proposal from the council was sent to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England in December. The LGBCE has now come back with what it hopes will be the final proposals, subject to a further public consultation. We've taken a close look at what the new of Liverpool may look like and how it will affect the areas you call home.
Read the full story here.
Heroic dad breaks down in tears on 'harrowing' trip to save refugees
A Merseyside dad made the unbelievable journey to Ukraine taking supplies to those in need.
Simon Davies arrived at a refugee centre on March 22 in the southeastern city of Przemysl, Poland, on the site of a former Tesco. He returned last Saturday following a four-day trip that took him from Krakow to Amsterdam.
Simon from Formby said: "When we arrived there were waves of refugees who had fled across the border and what I saw was just harrowing. People were making shelters out of what was available while mothers just sat there with children crying.
"Our plan was to drop off our supplies and take refugees with a British visa back with us but there were none, so the authorities put us in contact with some vulnerable people and we helped them instead."
Read the full story here.
