COLIN WARING SENTENCED IN LIVERPOOL FOR CHILD INDECENCY OFFENCES
A man named Colin Waring, of Thornleigh Avenue, Eastham, was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court of possessing and distributing child abuse images and of attempting to incite harm to children in online chats.Waring, a father of three, engaged in disturbing conversations with an undercover police officer posing as a woman called "Jennie" on Kik Messenger between April 30 and May 5 last year.
During these chats, Waring expressed a desire to sexually abuse her two supposed daughters, aged 8 and 12, and shared graphic indecent images of children.
Among these was a Category A video—considered the most severe—depicting a girl just four years old being raped, alongside a Category B photograph of a similar age girl being sexually assaulted.
On May 4, 2020, Waring sent Jennie these images, including a photo of himself with the words "Ped Dad"—short for paedophile dad—written on his penis.
Throughout the proceedings, Waring maintained that he knew the woman he was speaking to was an undercover officer and claimed the conversations were "fictional." Prosecutor Frances Willmott refuted this, stating that Waring genuinely intended to commit the crimes he discussed.
The court heard that during the five-day trial, a jury convicted Waring by a majority of 11-1 after more than four and a half hours of deliberation.
Upon hearing the verdict, Waring appeared to be distressed, breathing heavily and seemingly hyperventilating.
Prosecutor Ember-Jade Wong emphasized the seriousness of the case, highlighting the vulnerability of the children depicted in the images and pointing out evidence of efforts to hide incriminating material, as Waring deleted files from his mobile phone.
Defence lawyer Desmond Lennon acknowledged that because the online discussions involved fictitious children, the prison sentence could be extended due to the involvement of two children.
He also emphasized that Waring was of good character prior to these events and faced significant personal and familial consequences.
Judge Murray addressed the court, noting that Waring believed "Jennie" was the mother of two children he discussed raping and that Waring had sent explicit images with the label "Ped Dad." The judge clarified that jurors were instructed to be sure of Waring’s actual intent to commit these offences, and the verdict indicated they were convinced of this.
Although the jury did not find actual children involved, the judge acknowledged the gravity of the intent and behavior.
He sentenced Waring to seven years in prison, along with an additional year on licence, and ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register and adhere to a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
The sentence reflects the serious concern about Waring's conduct and its potential risk to the community.
