ANTHONY CUBITT SENTENCED IN LIVERPOOL FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES AGAINST MINORS
A man from Birkenhead, Anthony Cubitt, has been sentenced in Liverpool Crown Court after being convicted of multiple serious sexual offences involving minors.The 36-year-old father of two sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl after bombarding her with explicit messages and then physically molesting her.
Prosecutor Frances Willmott described Cubitt as 'depraved,' stating that he sent the girl vile texts, kissed her, and placed his hand down her pants.
The victim later attempted suicide, an impact she attributed to the abuse.
The court heard that Cubitt first contacted the girl via messaging, requesting they keep their conversations secret.
He called her beautiful and sexy, and at one point said, 'if he was her age, he would be f***ing her tonight.' When she replied she was 15, he expressed disbelief that she was so attractive at her age.
He continued to send inappropriate messages, urging her to answer 'sexy,' and even told her to leave her window open so he could climb in and wait for her naked.
The girl confided in an adult, who advised her to block Cubitt and told him to 'back off.' Despite this, Cubitt persisted in messaging her, again calling her 'sexy.' His misconduct escalated after he met her at a party, where he texted her complimenting her attire.
After leaving the party, he accompanied her home, grabbed her around the waist, kissed her, and attempted to kiss her again when she tried to leave.
He also followed her to her doorstep, forcibly kissed her, and touched her bottom.
The girl described feeling 'frozen' and unsure how to react to his 'manhandling' of her.
Cubitt then sent her messages praising her kissing and expressing love for her.
The girl further confided in the same adult, but was not believed, leading to her overdose.
She eventually reported the abuse to police in September 2020.
Cubitt initially denied the allegations but later admitted to sending sexual messages and touching her.
While on bail, Cubitt acted to groom a 12-year-old girl online, claiming she was a 'beautiful' and 'good looking' girl, and calling her his girlfriend—despite her age.
He told her not to tell her mother, asked her out, and expressed intentions to meet her at Southampton train station to 'teach her everything.' He also sent topless pictures, claimed he was not a paedophile, but then discussed having sex with her, making her moan, and getting her pregnant.
The girl repeatedly informed him she was 12, but Cubitt continued to pursue her.
He was confronted by paedophile hunters on August 30, and police arrested him on September 18.
During questioning, Cubitt initially blamed his brother for the online offences but later admitted to sending messages and knowing the girl’s age, denying only the most explicit ones, suggesting his brother may have sent them.
Cubitt faced multiple charges, including three counts of sexual communication with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of sexual activity with a child, and one count of attempted sexual communication with a minor.
The victim stated that his abuse has left her fearful to walk around Birkenhead, anxious around older men and her friends' parents, and disturbed by his actions, which she described as 'disgusting.' She expressed her desire to prevent other children from experiencing similar abuse.
The court noted Cubitt’s history of eight previous convictions for 16 offences, mainly related to dishonesty.
Defence solicitor Rebecca Smith acknowledged that Cubitt, who has limited supervised contact with his children, was aware he would face imprisonment.
She described his background as troubled, citing a disruptive childhood and a longstanding alcohol addiction starting at age 12, which she said might have been a disinhibitor, though not an excuse.
Judge Recorder Ian Harris characterized Cubitt’s behavior as 'depraved' and 'predatory,' emphasizing that he sent the girl 'crude and inappropriate' messages.
The judge highlighted that Cubitt might not have fully realized, but his actions contributed to the girl’s suicide attempt.
The court noted that Cubitt exchanged over 100 messages with the online decoy and was assessed as a 'high risk of serious harm to children' based on the predatory nature of his offences and his lack of remorse or empathy.
The judge stated that Cubitt had only shown limited responsibility, often blaming the victim, and described his offending as 'determined, unpleasant, predatory and persistent.' He sentenced Cubitt to three years in prison, ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register, and imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.
The victim was present in court, shed tears, and was comforted by a friend, with the court commending her bravery.
