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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Adam Everett

Faces of 48 sex offenders and paedophiles who were unmasked this year

A scout leader, a football coach and a Chinese restaurant waiter were among the sex offenders and paedophiles who were unmasked this year.

Among the other sickening perverts brought to justice at Liverpool Crown Court during 2022 were a man who described himself as a "nonce paedo", a "monster" karate instructor, a woman who arranged the rape and sexual abuse of a young girl and a dad who said he was "100 per cent paedo". Meanwhile, several school teachers appeared in the dock after committing depraved crimes.

These are 47 of the most shocking Merseyside sex offenders who appeared in court during 2022:

Graham Draper

Merseyside scout leader and former PCSO Graham Draper groomed and sexually abused a 13-year-old girl.

Graham Draper, then 22, sexually abused her multiple times over an 18-month period and told her they would run away together when she was old enough. Draper, now 31, was a volunteer scout leader at a troop in Merseyside and formerly a police community support officer with Merseyside Police.

He groomed the girl online, kissed her at his house after picking her up in his car, then sexually abused with her in his vehicle, at various locations. Draper gave her gifts, including money and alcohol, and said he loved her and they would buy a house together.

She went to the police in 2020 and the now dad-of-one confessed when arrested, before he admitted eight sexual offences, including causing a child to watch sexual activity and multiple counts of sexual activity with a child. Draper, of Halifax Crescent, Thornton, was jailed for three years and four months.

Alin Cobzaru

Alin Cobzaru, 27, of Scarisbrick Street, Southport (Liverpool ECHO)

Alin Cobzaru sexually abused a teenage gir l after plying her with cocaine and vodka.

The 27-year-old crawled Southport's streets in an Audi late at night, offering children "drugs in return for sex". The married dad-of-two targeted a 15-year-old girl, who he took to a party, where he molested her, one night in 2020.

Cobzaru, of Scarisbrick Street, Southport, denied any sexual contact with his victim. He denied two counts of rape and two counts of assault by penetration, which forced his victim to give evidence.

The first trial collapsed because of coronavirus issues and the second trial resulted in a hung jury. Ahead of a third trial, Cobzaru admitted four offences of sexual activity with a child, which the Crown accepted.

He was jailed for seven years and eight months.

Daniel Jones

Daniel Jones used his injured dog to lure a woman back to his house and sexually assault her.

The drugged up boxing coach and gym manager attacked the woman in Birkenhead last summer after seeing her in the street and asking her to help his pug, which he said had been hit by a car. He then convinced her to come to his house to call a vet but as soon as she was there he pinned her to the couch, tore off her clothes and sexually assaulted her.

The 47-year-old later barricaded a female police officer who came to the woman’s rescue into his living room, threatened to kill her and ripped her body cam off and threw it out a window. Jones, of Borough Road, Birkenhead, admitted sexual assault, assault by penetration, false imprisonment and threats to kill.

He was jailed for 16 years with a further eight years on extended licence.

Jamie Smith

Jamie Smith told a supposed teenage girl : "I want to be the man who teaches you everything you need to know about sex."

The 44-year-old, who even called himself a "nonce pedo" in his profile bio online, targeted underage girls on chat forums. The online predator thought he was talking to a 14-year-old child when he discussed performing a sex act on her and meeting up.

Smith, of Halliday Close, Birchwood, Warrington, sent her a photo of his penis and joked that what he was doing was "grooming a minor LOL". But he was actually talking to a decoy profile set up by paedophile hunters and it emerged they had snared him with another fake girl, aged 13.

Smith admitted attempting to meet a child following grooming and two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He was jailed for two years and three months.

Leonard Wood

Leonard Wood raped a child nearly 40 times during abuse lasting more than a decade.

When the now adult woman went to police to report her ordeal, Wood claimed she instigated his "vile" attacks. He denied any sexual activity between them when she was underage and claimed any sexual contact after that was consensual.

But a search of his home revealed camcorder cassettes hidden in the loft - including one that appeared to have been destroyed. And when a detective managed to repair the old cassette, it showed Wood had filmed himself raping and molesting the child.

Wood, 67, of Bark Road, Litherland, claimed the activity was consensual and admitted only two offences - counts of making indecent photographs of a child - claiming the videos were of her when she was aged 16 or 17. But evidence showed she was in fact under 16 at the time and he was found guilty of 11 counts of rape and three counts of indecent assault.

Wood was jailed for 24 years with an extended one year on licence.

Robert Trigg

Robert Trigg, 32, formerly of Wirral but now of Fairclough Crescent, Haydock (Merseyside Police)

Robert Trigg took sick photographs of himself raping and sexually abusing a little boy.

The paedophile had been accessing child sex abuse images online and National Crime Agency officers raided his home and seized his iPhone. On the device they recovered Category A, B and C indecent images of children, including Category A files showing him raping a young boy.

The pervert, formerly of Wirral but now of Fairclough Crescent, Haydock, had moved the images of the child to a secure “keep safe vault” on his phone. He admitted rape, two counts of causing or inciting the boy to engage in sexual activity and three counts of taking indecent photographs of the boy.

Trigg was jailed for 11 and a half years with an extended licence of 12 months.

Robert Jones

The dark past of former primary school and college caretaker Robert Jones was exposed in court.

The 70-year-old was a caretaker at Sudley Junior School in Aigburth in the early 1970s. While working at the school the then 20-year-old exposed himself to two little girls in the toilets.

But he went on to get a job at Liverpool Polytechnic, which later became Liverpool John Moores University. During this period he subjected a little girl to depraved sexual abuse, which has only now come to light, in the 1970s and 1980s.

Jones, of Hardie Avenue, Moreton, Wirral, denied any wrongdoing, but was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault and one count of indecency with a child. He was jailed for five years.

Luke McHugh

Paedophile Luke McHugh climbed up a ladder and into a bedroom intending to sexually assault two sleeping little girls.

He was supposed to be locked into his secure accommodation on Knowsley’s Longmeadow Road and prevented from leaving without supervision. Yet the 20-year-old had tampered with a window and escaped in the dead of night to launch his attack on a family's house in the local area in July last year, after spying on them for days.

The convicted sex offender was only stopped from sexually assaulting two girls in the house after their dad heard him get in and disturbed him. He was in the unit for trying to incite an eight-year-old girl to send him naked pictures online and he has convictions for possessing indecent images of children.

McHugh admitted trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence. He was locked up for 10 years.

David Bottomley

Former karate instructor David Bottomley who raped a schoolgirl and a woman was labelled a "monster".

The 58-year-old ex-coastguard and prison security officer was exposed as a "violent and abusive" rapist and paedophile. Bottomley abused a woman by committing a historic sex offence against her, which would today be classed as rape.

In another incident he used a karate kick on the woman's jaw while wearing steel toe capped boots. His second victim was a schoolgirl, who Bottomley, of Hoole Lane, Banks, raped when she was aged about 12.

Bottomley was found guilty of the historic sex offence and of assault causing actual bodily harm against the first woman. He was found guilty of rape, indecency with a child and two counts of indecent assault against the schoolgirl.

Bottomley was jailed for 14 years, with an extended one year on licence.

Peter Edge

Peter Edge, 62, of Goswell Street, Wavertree, who was jailed for 15 years for raping and sexually assaulting a young woman with a mental age of six (Lancashire Police)

The dad of a young woman with Down's Syndrome walked in on perverted care worker Peter Edge exposing himself to her during a video call.

Edge, 62, was the director of a company offering respite care to adults with disabilities - meant to give parents and carers a much-needed break. But he betrayed them in the most devastating way, raping and sexually assaulting the victim at a West Lancashire centre when it was empty.

The abuse only came to light when her horrified dad saw Edge had exposed his penis over a webcam while the victim was in her family home. Police discovered Edge had sexually abused her on the first day she was allowed out after shielding from coronavirus as a vulnerable person.

Edge, of Goswell Street, Wavertree, was found guilty of rape, sexual assault and other offences. He was jailed for 15 years, with an extended five years on licence.

Darren Higham

Darren Higham once complained about living next door to a convicted paedophile, then was jailed for being a paedophile.

The 53-year-old once complained to his local newspaper that he was furious his housing association didn't tell him his neighbour was a sex offender. But he is now behind bars for subjecting a young girl to a series of sordid sex attacks from when she was the age of seven until she was around 11.

The abuse ranged from the self-employed musician kissing and touching the child to forcing her to perform sex acts on him on more than one occasion. Higham, of Chaffinch Close, Birchwood, Warrington, admitted four counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 and inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He was jailed for four years.

Ahmed Al-Razawe

Ahmed Al-Razawe bit a woman's breast in a "vicious" street attack inflicting a permanent scar.

The 24-year-old sexually assaulted three victims in Liverpool city centre in the space of just four days. He first groped the thighs of a "terrified" 17-year-old girl and her 18-year-old friend, after asking them for sex and making "strange noises", at Liverpool One bus station on October 23, 2021.

Al-Razawe then launched a second "humiliating and degrading" attack, when he slapped a young woman's bottom. He then sank his teeth into her breast and hit her in the head with a wine bottle, in Lydia Ann Street on October 27.

Al-Razawe, of Upper Park Street, Toxteth, admitted three counts of sexual assault and one count of assault causing actual bodily harm. He was jailed for three years.

David Jones

David Jones, 33, of Loxley Road, Southport (Merseyside Police)

Former teaching assistant David Jones used his position as a football coach to groom and sexually abuse a young boy.

Jones, described by a judge as a "serious risk to boys", first met the young child when he was working at his primary school as a teaching assistant. The 33-year-old took an "instant liking" to the child and invited him to join a football club he coached, with the young footballer doing so.

He began to groom him with text messages and lifts in his car with him integrating himself into the life of the boy's family. His parents innocently thought the friendship was good for their son and improved his confidence, but his sexual abuse of the young boy led to him attempting suicide and devastated his life.

Years later, in 2018, by which time Jones was a fully qualified teacher, he created a fake Instagram profile posing as an 11-year-old girl to contact a boy one year older, send him inappropriate messages and ask for naked photos. The boy told his mum, who contacted police, before officers traced the profile to Jones.

Jones, of Loxley Road, Southport, admitted inciting a child under 13 to commit a sexual act, in respect of the Instagram offence. He was found guilty of two counts of sexually assaulting the schoolboy footballer and causing him to engage in sexual activity.

He was jailed for three and a half years.

Marcus Ellison

"Predatory paedophile" Marcus Ellison posed as a teen on Snapchat to lure a schoolgirl to a park and film himself having sex with her in bushes.

The 31-year-old told his 13-year-old victim he was only 16 and built up her trust in him before grooming her and encouraging her to have sex with him in Birkenhead Park and in disabled toilets at Pyramids Shopping Centre. When she told the 31-year-old to stop contacting her, he sent a video he had taken of them without her consent to school friends and it was later shared online.

A judge told Ellison he had "used and abused the girl" at his own will after meeting her in 2019. The abuse left the child devastated and he humiliated and further harmed her afterwards.

Ellison, of Hatherley Close, Toxteth, admitted meeting a girl following grooming, two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing a child to look at an image of sexual activity, engaging in non penetrative sexual activity with a girl, three counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl, plus one count of possessing, three counts of making, one count of taking and one count of distributing indecent images of a child.

He was jailed for nine years, with a further three years on extended licence.

Christopher Chan

Chinese restaurant waiter Christopher Chan "persuaded" a 15-year-old girl to have sex with him after taking her back to his flat.

The 34-year-old took the victim back to his flat in Southport and had what the court was told was "consensual sexual intercourse" with her. On two of the occasions Chan, of Manchester Road, Southport, had given the child alcohol.

The girl said his behaviour affected her ability to concentrate at school and her grades, which spoilt her chances of attending Cambridge University. She began self-harming and took an overdose, and has since been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and is on medication.

Chan, who worked at Lings On Kings in King Street, Southport, was found guilty of four offences of engaging in sexual activity with a child involving penetration.

He was jailed for three years.

William Ormandy

William Ormandy raped a teenager behind Lime Street Station.

The 31-year-old approached and started talking to his 18-year-old victim just before 2am on Sunday, February 6 this year as she walked alone towards a taxi rank. Ormandy said "you're gorgeous" and tried to kiss her, but the woman said she wanted to go home and that she was only 18.

He pulled her into an alleyway and raped her, then walked away, before she sought help from three women passing by. When arrested, Ormandy claimed he consensually kissed the victim three times and denied raping her.

Ormandy, of Church Road, Halewood, who had a history of violence against women, later admitted rape. He was jailed for eight years and three months, with an extended four years on licence.

Michael Cullen

Michael Cullen, 36, of Widnes, displayed "elements of planning and grooming" before committing two child sex offences. (Cheshire Police)

Sex attacker Michael Cullen preyed on a sleeping boy in a tent.

The 36-year-old, of Catherine Street, Widnes, faced justice after jurors convicted him at trial of engaging in sexual activity with a child and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. He had displayed "elements of planning and grooming behaviour" before abusing the young teenager.

The child woke to find Cullen molesting him. The boy was left struggling to sleep and said his relationships were affected by his ordeal.

Cullen was jailed for three years.

Joshua Corless

Joshua Corless raped a university student then filmed a video of a 16-year-old girl being sexually abused and shared it online.

The 23-year-old predator targeted a drunk university student who had only been away from home for a few weeks and offered to help her get home. He attacked her shortly after, overpowering her and raping her. In a separate incident, he threatened and coerced a 16-year-old girl to have sex with a vulnerable man in Widnes and filmed it before sharing it on TikTok.

Corless admitted distributing indecent images of children, but denied making indecent images of children and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, which he was convicted of after a trial. He admitted rape. Judge Gary Woodhall jailed him for 13 years and said: "You have no regret, remorse or shame about what you have done."

Gareth Davis

Gareth Andrew Davis, 43, hoarded a sick stash of child abuse images and depraved pictures of him molesting a doll including simulated strangulation. (NCA)

Gareth Davis filmed himself raping a baby in sex attacks a judge said were the worst he had ever seen.

The 43-year-old, of Ashridge Street, Runcorn, was arrested after the National Crime Agency (NCA) discovered indecent photographs had been uploaded to a Google account in his name. NCA investigators had suspicions Davis featured among the 512 child abuse images and raided his home.

He was arrested and his Samsung phone seized. Enquiries established some of the images were of Davis himself abusing a baby.

He had shared some of his depraved collection online with other paedophiles and simulated strangulation with a child doll. He admitted rape of a child under 13, sexual assault by penetration of a child under 13, and three counts of making indecent images: 36 of the most heinous type Category A, 382 Category B, and 94 Category C.

Judge Steven Everett, the Recorder of Chester, jailed him for life with a minimum of 27 years.

Vicki Bevan

Vicki Bevan, 37, instigated and organised the rape and sexual abuse of a young girl (CPS)

Vicki Bevan organised the rape and sexual abuse of a young girl alongside two men and told them there were "no boundaries".

The 37-year-old carried out some of her appalling sexual fantasies alongside Paul Rafferty, 62, and Tony Hutton, 42, by raping and abusing a young girl. Bevan also spent time discussing with another man their desire to "kidnap, rape, torture, kill and then eat children" after sexually abusing them.

The three paedophiles from St Helens were all involved in the systematic abuse of a girl. She was asked by one of the men at one point if she had any boundaries and she answered: "No, none at all…"

Images of the abuse were found on Bevan’s phone. They were shared between the three and also by Bevan to other perverts online on Kik Messenger.

Their sick crimes came to light when a fourth man was arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children. His phone was examined and images of the abuse carried out by Bevan discovered, before police recovered a video showing Bevan sexually abusing the child.

Bevan, of Napier Street, St Helens, admitted one count of raping a child under 13; five counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration; two counts of sexual assault on a child under 13; one count of sexual activity with a child; and one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. The rape, one of the counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration and one of the counts of sexual assault on a child under 13 were carried out jointly with Rafferty, of Fry Street, St Helens.

One of the other counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 involved Bevan and Hutton, of Liverpool Street, St Helens, both performing a sex act on the victim. Bevan also admitted 17 counts of making and three counts of distributing indecent images of children, plus two counts of possessing extreme pornography.

Rafferty admitted one count of raping a child under 13; one count of assault of a child under 13 by penetration; one count of sexual assault of a child under 13; and six counts of making indecent images of children. Hutton pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault of a child under 13 and three counts of making indecent images of children.

Bevan was jailed for life with a minimum of 10 years. Rafferty was jailed for 10 years with an extended four years on licence. Hutton was jailed for four years.

Peter Neild

Peter Neild who recorded himself sexually assaulting a toddler was caught out by police who recognised his tattoos.

His attacks on the little girl came to light after police found a phone hidden in the headrest of a chair in his Little Sutton home and matched his tattoos to those captured in the video. Officers had gone to arrest him on suspicion of downloading indecent images from the internet, but were faced with vile footage of Neild himself carrying out abuse.

The 50-year-old, who told police "I need help, I cannot continue like this", was labelled a danger to children after police raided his home on January 27 this year. Officers have since been able to identify the child and she and her family are being supported by social services. Neild admitted sexual assault against her.

Neild was also sentenced for an earlier set of sexual offences committed when he was living in Southport, when he was caught out by paedophile hunters trying to groom a young girl online and then arrange to meet her in 2018. He admitted attempting to meet a child following grooming, to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, to incite a child to watch sexual activity, and to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Neild, of Chester Road, Little Sutton, had previously been jailed for rape, unlawful sexual contact with a child and sexual assault of a child. He was jailed for 10 years and 10 months, with an extended five years on licence.

Peter Wilson

A paedophile's sick stash of child sex abuse videos included a half-hour film of him molesting a child.

Convicted sex offender Peter Wilson moved to Merseyside after being released from prison and going "missing". The 32-year-old was eventually tracked down to a hotel in Litherland.

Police discovered he had downloaded twisted files including a video of a baby being raped, which left a judge speechless when it was described in court. But a further movie showed Wilson himself sexually abusing a young girl - then turning to the camera to reveal his face.

The judge jailed him for five years, with an extended eight years on licence. This means Wilson must serve at least two thirds of the sentence - three years and four months - behind bars, before he can ask for parole.

However, he will only be released at that stage if the Parole Board considers he is no longer a risk. He will then be on licence for whatever remains of the five years, plus the extended eight years.

If he offends again, he could be recalled to prison to serve all of that time in jail.

Graham Handlon

A depraved dad begged undercover police to send him twisted pics and said: "I'm 100% paedo."

Graham Handlon thought he was talking to a fellow pervert online. But the 49-year-old was really chatting to a covert officer - just months after the deviant was previously spared jail for having a stash of sick images. The dad-of-two revealed he had bought an unregistered pay as you go phone "for all my paedo".

And he boasted: "There's no limits with me. I'm just a dirty c***, I’m just into everything. Everything and anything what goes. You know what I mean?"

Liverpool Crown Court heard Handlon, of Park Crescent, Southport, was handed a two-year community order in January 2020, after he was caught with child rape images. He was given a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

On November 30 that year he messaged the officer on web forum ChatIW stating "Hi m 47 peD north west no limits" and using the profile name "Bipedlknforbiped". Jamie Baxter, prosecuting, said: "Perhaps bi-sexual paedophile looking for another bi-sexual paedophile, if that's what bi-ped stands for."

Handlon sent him indecent photos and videos before claiming he "did" a girl when she was two. He sent more photos, boasting he had "100s", and asked the officer if he had any photos of his 11-year-old daughter - who the officer pretended to have sexually abused.

The officer said he was "cautious" who he shared images with, but Handlon replied: "I understand that bud, I’m 100% paedo bud." To prove his claims he sent more images and added: "I have vids too."

He sent three child rape videos to the officer, plus a video of himself performing a sex act. Police tracked his phone and found CCTV footage of him buying a top up voucher at the Spar in Roe Lane, Southport on November 7, 2020.

Officers raided his home on January 25, 2021. He handed over a phone and laptop, but didn't produce his Alba mobile, which was discovered hidden inside a plastic bag in his letterbox.

He admitted three counts of downloading, three counts of distributing and one count of possessing indecent images of children, plus possessing extreme porngraphy and breaching his SHPO. A judge jailed him for three years and 10 months. He made a new 15-year SHPO and told Handlon to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Kevin Campbell

(Liverpool Echo)

A "sickening" pervert spied on people using the toilet.

Kevin Campbell appeared for sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court. The 58-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to five counts of voyeurism.

Campbell, who lives in Allerton, planted a camera in a toilet in Birkenhead and filmed unsuspecting members of the public over the course of a year. The defendant stored the footage on his laptop, where an IT company uncovered his stash in December 2020.

The court heard Campbell was "distraught" when probed on the videos - and immediately admitted his guilt. However, David Watson, prosecuting, read out a number of statements from his numerous victims, who are still traumatised after footage of them was used for the defendant's own "sexual gratification".

Campbell, of New Heys Drive, was jailed for eight months.

Michael Wilde

Michael Wilde who was jailed for sexually abusing young boys while a teacher at Wade Deacon High School in Widnes during the 1970s. (cheshire police)

A former teacher, who sexually assaulted boys at the school where he taught for 38 years, was put back in jail for a fifth time.

Michael Wilde, 73, was first jailed in 2015 after two of his victims came forward, which led to three more revealing their ordeals at his hands for which he was again sent to prison. Liverpool Crown Court heard on Wednesday, June 15, how Wilde was jailed again in 2019 and 2020 after another two former pupils of Wade Deacon High School in Widnes came forward.

The latest victim revealed what Wilde had done to him when he was aged between 11 and 14 in the 1970's while police were speaking to him about an unrelated matter in 2020.

Wilde, a granddad, of Drake Close, Burtonwood and Westbrook in Warrington, pleaded guilty to three offences of indecent assault and was sentenced to two years behind bars. The judge also ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years.

Leslie Foster

A convicted rapist made a three-year-old rub his genitals in a city centre shop before trying to kidnap an eight-year-old and sexually assault her.

Leslie Foster had only recently been released from prison after committing sex offences against children but went on to target more kids in Home Bargains and Wilko in St John’s Shopping Centre last year. The 71-year-old has spent most of his life in prison after committing a series of sexual assaults against women and girls.

A judge said his pattern of predatory behaviour posed a risk to young children as he jailed him.

Martine Snowdon, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court he was first reported after lurking in the arts and crafts aisle in Wilko’s in September last year. A ten-year-old, shopping with her parents and sister, wandered away from them and was discovered by her sister close to Foster, who had brushed past her. Ms Snowdon said: “The defendant had said to her “are you sure, are you shy, do you want a kiss?’”

Days later, in Home Bargains, he targeted a three-year-old girl, telling her to rub his genitals over his trousers. That girl also told her family what had happened and while shop staff were checking the CCTV Foster tried to kidnap another child. He located an eight-year-old in a different part of the shop and asked her if she wanted to “come and play” and told her he would give her some money if she did so.

He quickly fled after realising he was under suspicion - but was arrested after he returned at a later date.

Foster, of no fixed abode, was jailed for nine and a half years, with another four and a half years on extended licence.

Amanda Bywater and Phillip Park

A nan and her partner plotted for months in an attempt to get a teenager to have sex with both of them.

Amanda Bywater, 48, and Phillip Park, 37 both encouraged each other to have sex with the same girl in a series of messages sent between the pair on WhatsApp. Bywater and Park were both jailed after a judge at Liverpool Crown Court told them he was sure they had the intention of having sex with the child.

Jonathan Rogers, prosecuting, said Bywater, from Widnes, and Park, from Leigh, met on a swingers' website and soon began messaging each other frequently throughout 2019.

He said they soon began discussing having sex with a particular teenager. In messages read out in court, the pair discussed how they wanted to have sex with the child in graphic detail. They would sometimes phrase the messages as a joke but later return to the topic again and again.

Eventually, the pair even discussed plans to have sex with the teen and whether they could ply her with alcohol to encourage her to agree. Their sick messages were later discovered before any sexual activity took place and they were reported to the police.

Park, of Holden Road, Leigh, and Bywater, of Brooklands Park, Widnes, were jailed for four and a half years.

Abdul Gani

Abdul Gani, 32, of Langsdale Street, Everton, was jailed for ten months after groping a young girl in a newsagents (Merseyside Police)

A pervert groped a 10-year-old girl as she chose a packet of crisps in a newsagents.

Abdul Gani, 32, of Langsdale Street, Everton, groped the girl as she was in Jim’s News in Fountains Road, Kirkdale with her nine-year-old cousin. The girls were stood selecting packets of crisps when the pervert walked past and touched her bottom.

Gani then smiled and winked at her before touching her again as she was paying. footage. Shop staff pointed out where the culprit, who did not work at the premises, was believed to be.

Gani, was convicted of sexually assaulting the child by touching after a magistrates court trial but his case was sent to Liverpool Crown Court because of the seriousness of the offence. On the day of the trial, Gani refused to leave his prison cell to appear via video link and he has also failed to engage with the Probation Service for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.

Jailing Gani for ten months Judge Stuart Driver QC said that he could not make an extended determinate sentence as Gani has no previous qualifying offences and the appropriate sentence would not be more than four years.

The police were called "and they found Gani unconscious outside his address having been assaulted". Gani was jailed for ten months.

Andrew Fearnley-Hill

Andrew Fearnley-Hill (Cheshire Police)

A man with a string of convictions for sexual offences was caught performing a sex act at a bus stop on his birthday. Serial flasher Andrew Fearnley-Hill now has 12 convictions following the incident of indecent exposure.

On the latest occasion, Fearnley-Hill, 52, was spotted by police officers passing in their car "naked from the waist down" as he performed a sex act on a busy Warrington street. He was holding his penis, while his trousers and underwear were on the pavement next to him.

The court heard that he could be seen by drivers, pedestrians and residents living nearby. Police believed he was under the influence of alcohol as he was "slurring his words and smelled strongly intoxicated".

Fearnley-Hill admitted indecent exposure and was jailed for a year. However, he is already serving a prison sentence and the new sentence will not affect his release date.

Andrew Holland

Andrew Holland (Merseyside Police)

A sick paedophile locked a 14-year-old girl in his attic and sexually abused her.

Andrew Holland's victim was branded a liar after police dropped their initial investigation into the child molester. Decades later, he finally confessed to his sickening crimes and has now been brought to justice for sexual offences for a second time.

The attack occurred in the attic room of the 60-year-old's then home on Merseyside. Holland - who has a total of seven previous convictions for 23 offences - admitted indecent assault during an earlier hearing. He was jailed for 32 months.

Oliver Roughley

Oliver Roughley (Merseyside Police)

An evil paedophile sexually abused a boy when he was aged as young as seven and raped him at a water park.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the now 24-year-old carried out the abuse over a three-year period when he was in his late teens. Roughley, from St Helens, groomed the boy by buying him presents including toy cars and teddy bears.

He also used violence to ensure his silence, including by twisting his arm behind his back. The pervert kept a pair of the child's underwear in his bedroom and messaged him telling him that he loved him.

Roughley - of Bailey Way in Windlehurst - first assaulted the boy when he was aged seven by touching his penis. He then "told him not to tell anyone or he would go to jail and never see him again".

His abuse escalated to raping the youngster in the cubicles of a swimming baths in South Liverpool and Splash World in Southport. He was convicted after a trial - and continues to maintain his innocence. A judge jailed him for 21 years.

Phil Hudson

Phil Hudson, 33, formerly of Lincoln Street, Garston, pleaded guilty to nine child sex offences and possessing extreme pornography. (Merseyside Police)

The vile pervert sent his partner a video of himself performing a sex act in front of a young girl.

Phil Hudson said "what have I done" as police stormed his home. Three months after the 33-year-old and the woman broke up, she went to Huyton Police Station and reported his disturbing behaviour.

His ex told officers he had "started to disclose his fantasies and desires around children". Seven indecent images of children aged as young as eight were discovered on the Pets at Home worker's phone after the raid, as were extreme pornographic images.

The video in question, which lasted just over a minute, showed Hudson naked and holding his phone recording the incident. He admitted offences including engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and was jailed for 27 months.

Nick Clayton

Nick Clayton claimed his Facebook account had been hacked (Merseyside Police)

A headteacher messaged more than 100 boys on Facebook asking for naked pictures before claiming that his account had been hacked.

Nick Clayton, from Hoylake, held lewd chats with children aged as young as 10 while working as the principal of a British international school in Iraq. His campaign of grooming only ended when police swooped to arrest him at an airport.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Tuesday that the 38-year-old contacted the profiles of 131 boys - mostly based in South Asia - over a three-month period in 2017 in order to "solicit" indecent images of the youngsters. Jonathan Rogers, prosecuting, described how the conversations also showed "evidence of travelling to meet children" - although Clayton was only charged in connection with attempts to groom four teens.

These chats involved a 12-year-old boy from Cambodia, a 13-year-old in Indonesia, a child aged 14 from the Philippines and a 16-year-old in Sri Lanka. The paedophile "bribed them with gifts" before demanding sick photographs.

David Campbell

David Campbell (Merseyside Police)

The paedophile asked a girl if she wanted to see his guinea pigs and groomed her with gifts.

David Campbell subjected two children to a catalogue of sickening sexual abuse when they were aged as young as five. He was jailed for 17 years for his "unforgiveable" actions.

A trial at Liverpool Crown Court, prosecuted by Ben Jones, heard how the 73-year-old targeted one of the youngsters over a period lasting seven years. Campbell bought another victim dolls and told her to "come and see his guinea pigs" before assaulting her.

His crimes were first reported to the police in 2020. He was subsequently charged with a series of child sex offences, and was found guilty of 11 counts - including inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and exposure - by a jury.

Robert Gwilliam

Robert Gwilliam (Cheshire Police)

The taxi driver told a 12-year-old girl he would pay her to clean his flat, but instead exploited the opportunity to sexually abuse her.

Robert Gwilliam's victim now goes to sleep hiding under her bed after he subjected her to years of assaults. The paedophile even took pictures of her naked, giving her fistfuls of cash in return.

The pensioner took pictures of her exposed breasts on his iPhone, and on one occasion told her to undress and placed pound coins on her naked body. She would "tell him no, but he carried on anyway", paying her up to £40 per visit. The schoolgirl eventually confided in her PE teacher about the "prolonged and sustained" abuse she had been subjected her to.

Gwilliam admitted six counts of sexual assault, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two charges of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child and taking indecent images. The 67-year-old was jailed for 12 years.

William Lea

William Lea (Merseyside Police)

The paedophile sexually assaulted and exposed himself to a schoolgirl in an arcade then gave her his phone number.

William Lea told the teenager to perform a sex act upon him and was caught because he left his contact details with her. But after being released under investigation over the incident, he went on to attempt to groom an 11-year-old.

The 65-year-old had been using a gaming machine in an amusements next to the Scarisbrick Hotel in Southport when he groped a 14-year-old, then exposed himself to her and instructed her to perform a sex act on him. Lea was then ensnared in an online paeophile hunter sting.

He arranged to meet up with this 'girl' at Southport Station, but was confronted by members of the group. He was jailed for four years and 10 months.

John Murphy

John Murphy (Merseyside Police)

Murphy and his paedophile pal were rumbled by the latter's girlfriend after she discovered a horrifying log of their sickening chats.

John Murphy shared his vile stash of material over WhatsApp with other depraved individuals, including pervert bus driver David Owens. They were exposed after the latter's long-term partner became suspicious and checked his phone, revealing to her shock that they had secretly been discussing their desire to sexually abuse children.

An analysis of Murphy's own phone revealed a number of indecent images while he had also distributed some. The 68-year-old said upon his arrest: "I only speak to people who want to get involved in that sort of thing."

Murphy admitted three counts of distributing indecent images, possession of indecent images and three charges of making indecent images. He was jailed for 25 months.

Robert Case

Robert Case, 42, was jailed for a slew of sexual offences (Merseyside Police)

The “manipulative and controlling” builder used cocaine to try and lure young girls into taking part in sexual acts.

Robert Case was convicted of a slew of sexual offences and abuse that dated back seven years. The court heard how the 42-year-old, of Croxteth Hall Lane, Liverpool, would “snort” cocaine and use the substance to try and lure girls under the age of 16 into sexual acts.

On one occasion, he was driving in the car with a 10-year-old girl when he tried to “put his hand down her pants”. Another time, the pervert was at his home with a teenage girl when he offered her drugs before “pursing her” and making a number of unwanted sexual advances.

Case was sentenced to eight years and three months in prison. Shouts of “get in” could be heard from the public gallery when he was placed on the sex offenders' register for life.

Kieran Parkinson

Kieran Parkinson (Merseyside Police)

The pervert abused a child and filmed his wife having sex with their pet dog.

Kieran Parkinson groomed the boy with promises of paying him cash, then performed a sex act on himself as the youngster watched. Police also uncovered a series of depraved Facebook chats between him and his wife Mary in which they discussed raping and assaulting children.

The 36-year-old once stood rubbing his private parts in the boy's presence for several minutes. The paedophile denied this had been sexually-motivated and claimed that he had actually been itching himself.

Parkinson was found guilty of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and causing a child to watch a sexual act after a trial and admitted three counts of possession of extreme pornographic images. He was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Carl Burger

Carl Burger (Merseyside Police)

The pervert posed as a doctor in order to sexually assault a hospital patient in her 80s.

The grandma was asleep in her cubicle in the A&E department of the Royal Liverpool Hospital when Carl Burger targeted her, falsely telling her he was a medical professional who was performing an examination. The attack only stopped when he was disturbed by a nurse.

It came just over two months after he had groped another victim as she slept. The severely disabled woman was asleep on her sofa and woke to find Burger groping her left breast underneath her pyjama top

The 55-year-old admitted two counts of sexual assault. He was jailed for three years.

Mikael Janesson

Mikael Janesson (Merseyside Police)

The paedophile was rumbled after he and his girlfriend met a man in a bar and invited him back to their flat for a threesome.

Mikael Janesson made a series of troubling comrments to the male following their drug-fuelled romp. The 41-year-old stated he "believed you should be able to have sex with anyone who you wanted, regardless of age" then pulled out his phone and showed him a series of indecent images showing girls having sex with adult males.

The concerned participant called the police as a result, with officers then discovering his vile stash. The pervert then penned a disturbing seven-page letter to the court in which he described himself as a "martyr for paedophilia" and compared himself to Alan Turing.

Janesson admitted possession of indecent images, three counts of making indecent images, possession of extreme pornographic images, possession of prohibited images of children and supplying mephedrone. He was jailed for 20 months.

Kevin Jones

Kevin Jones (Merseyside Police)

The paedophile attempted to groom a '13-year-old girl' by sending her pictures of his false leg.

Kevin Jones befriended two supposed teenagers on Facebook before engaging them in a series of lewd chats on WhatsApp. But, unbeknown to him, he was actually being ensnared in a paedophile hunters' sting.

The 56-year-old asked one decoy account to supply him with pictures of herself and sent images of his face and prosthetic leg. The three-time convicted paedophile asked "if she liked older men" and if she had "had sex education in school" while "constantly referring to her as a nice girl".

Jones told her he had been masturbating, talked about pornography and instructed her how to access it - asking her to describe what she had seen once she had done so. He admitted two counts of attempting sexual communications with a child, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and two charges of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and was imprisoned for four years.

Paul Daw

Paul Daw, 55, of Higher Lane, Rainford, appeared in court after pleading guilty to historic sexual offences with a pupil (Merseyside Police)

A school teacher groomed and indecently assaulted an underage teenage girl who was one of his pupils.

The historic offences took place in St Helens in the 1990s and only came to light when the victim went to police many years later. The now 55-year-old paedophile groomed the student by lending her books and CDs and giving her compliments before assaulting her.

He previously appeared in court in December 2013 after pleading guilty to filming indecent images of young girls getting changed at the Wirral school where he was now teaching and of teenagers shopping in Liverpool, for which he received a suspended sentence. Daw admitted four counts of indecent assault for his latest crimes and was jailed for 28 months.

David McMullan

David McMullan (Merseyside Police)

The paedophile travelled from Northern Ireland to Merseyside and raped a girl in hotels and fields after grooming her on Snapchat.

David McMullan sent his teenage victim a string of gifts before flying over to sexually abuse her four times over the course of around 18 months. On one occasion, the 32-year-old plied her with drugs which knocked her out - before she awoke to find him having sex with her.

This came after he sent a parcel to her home on Valentine's Day containing a card with a picture of her face on it and a photograph of a man he purported was himself - as well as a teddy bear, a hoodie, £30 in cash, lubricant and a bubble wand. McMullan admitted four counts of rape and was jailed for 19 years.

Shankar Singh

Shankar Singh (Merseyside Police)

The hospital patient groped a nurse, laughed and played a Bob Marley song on his mobile phone.

Shankar Singh sexually assaulted the Royal Liverpool Hospital worker as she was tending to him after he had been admitted as an inpatient. Despite the dad's vile actions, which left her "worried and frightened", she courageously continued to provide her attacker with treatment in the interests of his health and wellbeing.

The 35-year-old was in hospital last year due to cellulitis when the member of staff was leaning over him in order to fit a canula. As she did so, Singh grabbed her by the breasts, laughed and played No Woman, No Cry by Bob Marley and the Wailers on his phone before saying "this could have been us".

He was found guilty of sexual assault after a trial. Judge Anil Murray jailed him for eight months.

Mark Edwards

Mark Edwards (Merseyside Police)

The depraved paedophile took Lego Star Wars sets and a toilet brush to a sordid meetup at a Costa Coffee.

Mark Edwards brought the gifts and a sex toy, among other troubling items, to the branch - where he had hoped to meet with the parents of a seven-year-old boy, whom he planned to rape. The convicted sex offender used the pseudonym Daddy4Young on an online fetish forum as he sought out young victims to abuse.

When he was arrested at the rendezvous point at Costa on Edge Lane, the bemused pervert asked "how did you know it was me?". Two Star Wars Lego sets, tealights, a sex toy, a bat, shoe laces, a box of Deep Heat and a toilet brush were found during a search of his car.

Edwards admitted two counts of arranging a child sex offence, encouraging sexual activity with a child, three charges of making indecent images, possession of indecent images and breaching a sexual harm prevention order. He was jailed for eight years and handed an extended four-year licence period.

Robert Pearson

Robert Pearson (Merseyside Police)

The paedophile head teacher was out of prison for a matter of weeks before he "went back to his old ways".

Robert Pearson claimed to be "shocked and concerned" after police found a stash of "the most depraved form" of indecent images on his mobile phone. The pensioner has now been convicted of sexual offences for a fourth time, having also abused a girl at the turn of the century.

He admitted possession of indecent images and three counts of making indecent images and was jailed for 20 months.

In 2003, the then head of Campion Catholic High School in Everton, which closed in 2007, was outed as a "key member of an internet paedophile ring". Pearson was found with a vile collection of 60,000 child abuse images on his computer and discovered that he had abused a young girl in the late 90s and early noughties.

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