So far this year more than a dozen people have been brought before the crown courts in Lancashire for sex offences or child sex offences.
From rapists to paedophiles, men who have sexually abused people to a man caught exposing himself outside care homes - the courts have had no shortage of depraved individuals charged with some of the most disgusting crimes.
While not all have been jailed, justice has prevailed in many cases, with all of them being required to sign the sex offender's register, something that will stay with them for a long, long time.
Here, we've rounded up all the paedophiles and sex offenders brought before the courts in January, February and March 2023.
Steven Hobson breached an order by posing as a baby photographer
A convicted paedophile has been jailed after breaching his sexual harm prevention order by posing online as a photography company and asking families if he could take pictures of their babies.
Steven Hobson, 30, also admitted failing to notify the police of his whereabouts when he moved from Sheffield to East Lancashire earlier this year, and pleaded guilty to making five indecent category B images of children and five category C images.
Hobson, originally from South Yorkshire, was jailed in 2017 for making and distributing indecent images of children after he posed online as another man, and asked a 13-year-old girl to take photos and videos of herself breastfeeding a doll.
Full story here: Steven Hobson breached an order by posing as a baby photographer
Blackburn pervert jailed for texting "13-year-old girls" for sex
A pervert who tried to get two 13-year-old girls to engage in sexual acts has been jailed for 28 months.
On May 6, Jason Brian, 41, sent what he thought was a 13-year-old girl a pornographic image. He had in fact sent the image to an undercover police officer.
Still thinking he was communicating with the child, Brian moved the conversation to Snapchat and told the girl he was going to perform a sex act.
The Online Child Abuse Investigation Team found Brian, then living at Rutland Street in Blackburn, was the man responsible for sending the messages and was arrested, answered no comment in interview and was released while investigations continued.
Full story here: Blackburn pervert jailed for texting "13-year-old girls" for sex
'Sexual predator' jailed after 'stealing innocence' of girl
A ‘sexual predator’ who persistently abused a nine-year-old girl in her own bed has been jailed.
David Howie, 52, has been handed a six and a half year sentence today after he was found guilty at a trial of sexual assault on a child under 13, and causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.
The court heard how the girl, who was aged between nine and 13 at the time, was ‘relieved’ when she could finally report the ’persistent’ abuse to her grandmother.
Full story here: 'Sexual predator' jailed after 'stealing innocence' of girl
Blackburn pervert jailed for the abuse of five-year-old girl
A dangerous pervert who sexually assaulted a young girl in Blackburn has been jailed.
Appearing at Preston Crown Court on Monday, February 6, Robert Bell was given an extended determinate sentence of nine years.
Judge Andrew Jeffries KC described Bell, 57, as someone who poses a significant risk of serious harm to the public and was a high risk of harm to female children.
Lancashire Police launched an investigation into Bell, formerly of Monmouth Road, Blackburn, but now of no fixed address, after they received a report he had sexually assaulted a girl when she was just five-years-old.
Full story here: Blackburn pervert jailed for the abuse of five-year-old girl
31-year-old jailed for spontaneous sexual assault on woman, 79
A 31-year-old man drank himself into a stupor before knocking on a pensioner’s door and ‘spontaneously’ sexually assaulting her.
Asadul Karim was jailed for nine months at Burnley Crown Court after being convicted at trial of sexual assault.
The court was told how on May 28, 2021, Karim, of Beveridge Mews in the Stepney Green area of London, was for some reason in Burnley and had found himself in an intoxicated state.
Full story here: 31-year-old jailed for spontaneous sexual assault on woman, 79
Pervert sexually assaulted woman he lured into his van
A pervert lured a vulnerable woman into his van before sexually assaulting her.
Kevin Hilton, 55, committed the offence in Whalley Road, Accrington, in September 2019.
The victim, who is in her 30s but has the mental age of a child, was lured into the van by Hilton who went on to kiss and grope her.
Following extensive enquiries, Hilton was identified from his DNA and via the delivery van he was driving.
Full story here: Pervert sexually assaulted woman he lured into his van
Sean Nicholson from Bacup thought he was talking to girl called 'Izzy'
An “unrepentant paedophile” has been jailed again for chatting to what he thought was a 12-year-old girl online.
Convicted paedophile, Sean Nicholson, was jailed for 36 months in 2019 after being caught with more than 19,000 indecent images on his devices.
He was handed a sexual harm prevention order and told to comply with notifications, however, Preston Crown Court heard that in April last year, Nicholson breached those orders when he went online and struck up a conversation in a chat room called Chat IW with an undercover police officer who was posing as a 12-year-old girl called ‘Izzy’.
Full story: Sean Nicholson from Bacup thought he was talking to girl called 'Izzy'
Colne paedophile jailed again over child sex images
A convicted paedophile who was found with more than 250 indecent images of children, with a judge describing them as some of “the most disgusting images” he’s ever had the misfortune of viewing, has been jailed.
Phillip Belcher pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, but only after initially taking the case to court when he was found with the photographs on his devices back in 2019, rendering him in breach of a suspended sentence and sexual harm prevention order.
Full story here: Colne paedophile jailed again over child sex images
Blackburn rapist jailed for five years
A judge commended a victim for her bravery and conduct as he sent her rapist to prison for five years.
Judge Simon Medland said “no sentence he imposed could make up for what happened” to the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, when she was raped by Asad Mirza while she slept on his sofa.
Mirza, 36, of Limbrick, Blackburn, was found guilty of rape at a trial in January and was sentenced at Preston Crown Court on Wednesday (March 8).
Full story here: Blackburn rapist jailed for five years
Padiham paedophile rapist jailed for eight years
A teenage paedophile has been jailed for raping and assaulting a woman and engaging in sexual activity with a girl under the age of 16.
Billy Whitehouse, 18, was just 16-years-old when he carried out the sexual offence on his first victim, while she was 14, pressuring her into having sex with him when they were both drunk.
Whitehouse, of Green Street, Padiham, then met his second victim while on a night out in Burnley in June 2021, telling her he was 21, when in reality he was 17.
Full story here: Padiham paedophile rapist jailed for eight years
Man in bra who exposed himself outside Burnley care homes jailed
A pervert who committed sex acts outside care homes in East Lancashire while wearing women’s underwear and a clown mask has been jailed.
Shocked witnesses described how Paul Whittaker entered the grounds of various care homes in the area wearing women’s underwear, including a bra, knickers, suspenders and stockings, and exposed himself to staff.
He also wore a mask and a basque and put underwear over his face in an attempt to hide his identity.
At a sentencing hearing in Burnley Crown Court, Whittaker, who appeared via video link from Preston Crown Court and was representing himself, still maintained his innocence, telling the court, “I was framed and set up for this, there’s no indication of why I was arrested”.
Full story here: Man in bra who exposed himself outside Burnley care homes jailed
Accrington man sent explicit videos to young girl
A 39-year-old man had sex with a 16-year-old girl and sent her videos of himself masturbating.
Anthony Brown had begun a purely platonic relationship with the girl when she was just 15, but this slowly turned into one of a sexual nature, with the pair exchanging text messages and photos.
Preston Crown Court heard how just after her 16th birthday, safeguarding staff from the girl’s college had been made aware that the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was in a relationship with a man in his 30s.
Enquiries were made and it became apparent that there had been communications between the girl and the defendant, who is now 41.
Full story here: Accrington man sent explicit videos to young girl
Barnoldswick school caretaker had 1,000 indecent images of children
A man who possessed more than 1,000 indecent images of children across a range of devices has avoided prison time ‘by the skin of his teeth’.
Mark Haggan had been using a peer-to-peer network to share images and was using a VPN to mask his IP address.
Preston Crown Court heard how the IP address was identified on January 3, 2021, and after the VPN failed due to a user error, activity continued to be shared until March 30, 2021.
Full story here: Barnoldswick school caretaker had 1,000 indecent images of children
Ribble Valley man sent sexualised Snapchat messages to girl, 16
A man sent sexualised Snapchat messages to a 16-year-old colleague and prodded her bum with a mop handle.
Adam Hulme was 28 when he sexually assaulted the teen and sent her explicit messages asking her to perform sex acts on him.
The now 31-year-old, of Halfpenny Lane, Longridge, denied the charge of sexual assault and took the case to trial. However, he attempted to flee to Scotland to avoid prosecution and in doing so committed a bail act offence.
When he was eventually apprehended, he stood trial in October, where he admitted to the bail act offence and was then convicted by jury of sexual assault.
Full story here: Ribble Valley man sent sexualised Snapchat messages to girl, 16
Bacup man given suspended sentence for sexual communications
A pensioner who engaged in online chats with who he believed to be two 13-year-old girls has been given a suspended sentence.
Stephen Pickup instigated separate discussions with who he believed to be two teenagers, which quickly became sexual and saw exchanges of images take place.
Preston Crown Court heard how police received referrals from two online groups that were engaged in chat with an internet address registered to Pickup.
As a result of enquiries, police attended his home address on October 25, 2021, where he was present with his wife.
Full story here: Bacup man given suspended sentence for sexual communications
Pervert went to stables to commit sexual act on horse
A pervert who entered horse stables ‘with intent to commit a sexual offence’ told police he was in an ‘unstable situation’.
Shane Taylor-Waters, 42, of no fixed address, who has previously been in court for filming himself whilst having sex with a horse, said he went into a stable block in Hapton to commit the act but ‘thought better’.
Officers were called at around 12.40am on May 16, by the owner of the stable block to say he had found Taylor-Walters crouched behind his horse.
Full story here: Pervert went to stables to commit sexual act on horse
Paedophile looked at images of children when 'bored at work'
A paedophile said he would look at pictures of children if he was ‘bored in lockdown’ and ‘while he was bored at work’.
Adnan Khalid, 29, has been spared jail after admitting to police that he had a sordid interest in children.
Khalid was found with 2,169 images of children across a mobile phone, laptop and memory stick which police seized.
Prosecuting at Preston Crown Court, Stephen Parker said that police raided Khalid’s home on Neath Close, Blackburn, in February 2021, acting on information received by social media.
Full story here: Paedophile looked at images of children when 'bored at work'
Accrington paedophile paid boys to undress and filmed them
A paedophile filmed two boys while paying them to take off items of clothing.
Leigh Pilkington, 47, was described as ‘every parent's worst nightmare’ after he tried to get young boys, all under 13, to take their clothes off while he filmed them.
Lisa Worsley, prosecuting, told Preston Crown Court that Pilkington was walking around the Huncoat Greenway when he spotted two boys playing with toys in the water.
Pilkington approached the boys and asked if they wanted to make some money and that he had a YouTube channel.
Full story here: Accrington paedophile paid boys to undress and filmed them
Paedo with 1,500 indecent images of children spared jail
A paedophile was told he had come within a ‘hair's breadth’ of going to jail after being found with more than 1,500 indecent images of children.
Thomas Dunn, of Blackpool Street, Church, was spared jail by the courts following a raid on his home, in which officers discovered devices containing 1,522 images of children being sexually abused.
Prosecuting, Stephen Parker said the police had been informed in 2021 by DropBox that some photographs of child exploitation may have been uploaded to an account with an email address linked to the defendant.
Full story here: Paedo with 1,500 indecent images of children spared jail
Blackburn man who sent sex video to 'teenager' spared jail
A paedophile who sent a '13-year-old-girl' explicit videos said he was in fact trying to catch out paedophiles himself while teaching the child how to masturbate.
Mohamed Saleh, 25, has been spared jail after he was caught messaging who he thought were 13-year-old girls.
Lisa Worsley, prosecuting, told Preston Court that luckily that was not the case and it was in fact an undercover police officer.
Saleh, of Langholme Road, Blackburn, started speaking to the account on February 1, 2022.
Full story here: Blackburn man who sent sex video to 'teenager' spared jail
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