ANDREW TIMBLIN FROM STOCKPORT JAILED FOR HORRIFIC ABUSE AND SEXUAL OFFENSES

In June 2017, the criminal case involving Andrew Timblin, a man from Stockport, unfolded with disturbing revelations of abuse and exploitation. The court heard that a 14-year-old girl endured a harrowing ordeal of sexual assault at the hands of Timblin, a 60-year-old former gym instructor known as 'the Sex Machine' due to a tattoo bearing those words across his stomach. The girl’s suffering did not end there; after her rescue from her abusive environment, she was placed in foster care with a Metropolitan Police officer and his wife in London, only to be subjected to further abuse by the officer himself.

According to court proceedings, the girl’s early life was marred by neglect and instability. Her mother, an addict with a chaotic lifestyle, had left her in the care of her father and siblings in Lancashire after her drug use led to her losing custody in 2004. Despite this, her mother re-established contact in 2014 via Facebook, falsely claiming that her daughter’s biological father was not related to her. She then manipulated her daughter into leaving her stable home environment by portraying her father negatively, which led the girl to leave her home out of curiosity and a desire to reconnect with her mother.

Her mother’s neglect continued as she confiscated her daughter’s clothing and sold them, leaving her vulnerable to older men while she sought drugs. The teenager’s life was marked by frequent police interventions, as she was found in hotel rooms with men aged 33 and at the homes of individuals with criminal records for drugs and firearms offenses. Despite her tumultuous lifestyle, she returned to her mother, who eventually introduced her to Andrew Timblin in Stockport. Known locally as ‘the Bear,’ Timblin was notorious for his intimidating presence and had a tattoo proclaiming himself as a ‘sex machine.’

Despite her pleas and suffering panic attacks, the girl’s mother left her in Timblin’s care. It was during this period that Timblin subjected her to two separate rapes. The girl confided in her older brother about the assaults, prompting her father to alert authorities. When police officers located her, she initially denied the abuse but later disclosed her trauma after being separated from her mother. The investigation revealed that Timblin had raped her on two occasions in his home town of Stockport.

Following her rescue, she was placed in foster care with a police officer and his wife in London in July 2014. However, this placement was short-lived; by December of that year, the girl was removed after the officer admitted to having an affair with her. Initially, police took no action as the girl claimed nothing inappropriate had occurred, but the truth surfaced in January 2015 when she was reported missing from her grandmother’s home. It was then revealed that she and the officer had stayed in a hotel in Stockport before returning to his flat in Essex. The officer later pleaded guilty to charges of sexual activity with a child and child abduction.

Prosecutor Henry Blackshaw emphasized that the girl’s life had been severely disrupted by her mother’s neglect and chaotic lifestyle. He pointed out that her mother, who was homeless and addicted to drugs, had used her daughter’s care as a means to garner sympathy and access to various unsafe environments. Blackshaw highlighted that the mother was aware of Timblin’s unsuitability but still left her daughter in his sole care, despite her protests and evident distress. The court heard that the girl was often in a state of panic, vomiting, and extremely distressed, yet her mother continued to manipulate her for her own benefit.

Timblin denied all charges but was convicted of multiple offenses, including rape, indecent assault, unlawful wounding, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison and will be registered as a sex offender for an indefinite period. Judge Jeffery Lewis condemned Timblin’s actions, stating that he had betrayed the innocence of a young girl during a critical transition from childhood to womanhood. The judge expressed hope that the girl, now a young woman, would find a way to overcome the trauma inflicted upon her and build a future free from the shadows of her past.