ALAN THOMLEY AND SHOCKING PAEDOPHILE ACTS IN LIVERPOOL AND MANCHESTER
A 51-year-old man named Alan Thomley from Liverpool was brought before the courts in connection with disturbing online grooming and indecent conduct involving decoy accounts operated by vigilant groups.The court heard that Thomley was visibly distressed and emotional as he was sentenced to prison, after being found guilty of engaging in multiple attempts to communicate with what he believed were underage girls.
The series of disturbing incidents came to light when Thomley was caught in a sting operation conducted by paedophile hunter groups.
These groups set up decoy accounts on messaging platforms, pretending to be underage girls ranging from 13 to 14 years old, in an effort to identify and catch individuals attempting to exploit minors online.
Thomley engaged in sexually explicit conversations with three such decoys.
Reportedly, during one chat, Thomley asked a decoy believed to be a 13-year-old girl what colour her underwear was.
On another occasion, he exposed himself on a video while in the bath to one of the decoys.
The Liverpool Crown Court examined the details of Thomley's conduct, starting in July 2021, when he first initiated contact with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl on the messaging app SayHi.
He continued communicating with her through WhatsApp the following month.
During these exchanges, Thomley asked invasive questions such as “what colour knickers she had on” and demanded she lift her top to see her bra.
Prosecutor Christopher Hopkins described how Thomley went further in his misconduct, stating that he told the decoy she was “sexy” and had “sexy eyes.” The court revealed that Thomley also engaged with another decoy, pretending to be a 14-year-old girl on the same platform.
He requested explicit images, asked her to lift her top again, and even offered to partake in a video chat where he claimed he would perform a sexual act while bathing.
His disturbing online pursuits did not stop there.
In August, Thomley attempted to groom yet another decoy, this time again claiming to be interested in a 14-year-old girl.
He persisted in asking for indecent images and recorded himself in the bath, additionally asking the decoy about her bra size.
Thomley's criminal activity was interrupted when he was confronted at his workplace in Manchester on August 20 by the vigilant groups that had been tracking his online actions.
He was subsequently arrested by police officers.
During police interviews, Thomley maintained that he had no sexual motivation for his actions, vehemently denying any intent to commit abuse.
It was also disclosed during the trial that Thomley had a prior conviction related to similar offences.
In 2015, he had been caught in a paedophile sting, and in 2017, he breached a sexual harm prevention order issued against him.
Despite these prior convictions, Thomley continued his inappropriate conduct, which highlights the severity of his actions and the risk posed to children.
Further details revealed that Thomley acts as a carer to his partner, who is described as vulnerable, and that he secured new employment following the loss of his previous job after being caught in the sting.
These circumstances added complexity to his case.
Thomley pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including three counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of attempting to incite a child to watch sexual activity, and three counts of attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child.
In sentencing, Recorder David Knifton KC condemned Thomley's actions, emphasizing the extensive nature of his online chats which targeted apparent minors.
The judge pointed out that all the decoys were actually adult vigilante members, and that Thomley's claimed lack of sexual motivation was unconvincing.
The court also noted that his conduct was aggravated by his history of previous convictions and his refusal to take heed of warnings.
The judge highlighted the potentially devastating consequences had Thomley been in contact with real children, noting the high likelihood of enduring emotional and sexual harm.
He was assessed as posing a high risk of serious harm to minors.
Consequently, Thomley was sentenced to 45 months in prison, and the court imposed a lifelong sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).
Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely.
As Thomley was led from the courtroom, he appeared visibly distressed, shaking and holding his head in his hands.
Reports indicate he was on the verge of tears, and once in custody, he was heard crying loudly and wailing, in clear emotional distress over the verdict and his sentence.
