BARRY BOSCHEN FROM SUTTON JAILED IN NORTH WALES FOR ONLINE GROOMING AND SEX OFFENSES

In March 2019, Barry Boschen, a 44-year-old man with no fixed address but formerly residing in Sutton, London, was sentenced to prison following a series of serious breaches related to his previous sexual offenses. Boschen had been convicted of attempting to groom a young girl through online communication and was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) designed to restrict his online activities and monitor his internet usage.

Despite these court-imposed restrictions, Boschen was found to have violated the terms of his SHPO between August 20 and 29 of the previous year. He used Snapchat, a social media platform known for its ephemeral messaging, which was explicitly prohibited under the conditions of his order. The court heard that he also failed to register a laptop with police, as required, and did not report his current residence to authorities. Additionally, he was found in North Wales, where he had failed to inform police of his whereabouts, and was discovered sleeping in his car near a building frequented by teenagers in Fairbourne, close to Dolgellau.

Judge Huw Rees presided over Boschen’s case at Caernarfon Crown Court. During the proceedings, Boschen admitted to two charges of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He also pleaded guilty to failing to register his electronic devices and to possessing an indecent image of a teenage girl. The judge sentenced him to 10 months in prison, emphasizing the concern of Probation Service officers regarding the risk he posed to teenage girls. The judge warned Boschen, “You must tread very carefully,” highlighting the ongoing danger he represented.

Prior to this sentencing, Boschen had appeared in court from custody, but the hearing was temporarily halted when he began arguing with the judge. As he was led away to serve his sentence, Boschen offered an apology to the court. The court also noted that Boschen had traveled to North Wales with the intent to meet a teenage girl he had contacted online, further underscoring the seriousness of his violations.

It was also revealed that Boschen had previously been sentenced to a 12-month prison term at Chester Crown Court in March of the previous year. His prior conviction involved engaging in sexual communication with a minor, which led to the imposition of the 10-year SHPO, restricting his online activities to only those applications where his viewing history could be stored. Despite these restrictions, Boschen continued to use Snapchat, which deletes messages after a short period, making monitoring more difficult.

In addition to his online misconduct, Boschen failed to report his current residence to police, which is a breach of his legal obligations. He was found sleeping in his vehicle near a location used by teenagers, raising further concerns about his potential risk to minors. The court ordered the confiscation of his laptop and mobile phone, devices that could contain evidence of his illegal activities.

In a related incident from April 2018, a quick-thinking mother in Cheshire played a crucial role in apprehending Boschen. She discovered that he had posed as a 21-year-old on Snapchat and had befriended her 12-year-old daughter from Runcorn. After finding sexually explicit messages and requests to meet, she contacted the police. The following day, Boschen uploaded a comment on Snapchat asking if anyone in Chester or Runcorn wanted to meet up. The mother and a relative then located Boschen sitting in a van at a fast-food restaurant in Runcorn. Using her vehicle to block him in, she called the police, who promptly arrested him. Boschen was subsequently sentenced to 12 months in prison and received a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, reflecting the severity of his offenses and the ongoing risk he posed to children.