July 2019 Pervert who imported sex doll with “childlike features” walked free from court – because he has terminal cancer A pervert who imported a sex doll with “childlike features” walked free from court – because he has terminal cancer. Darryl Sharratt, 61, ordered a 4ft 7in model from China for £1,100, only for it to be intercepted by the authorities. When police went to his home in Park Avenue, Haydock, St Helens, they found he had downloaded animal porn. They discovered he already had three dolls – one dressed in “school uniform” – which he filmed himself having sex with. Included in his disturbing video collection was also a recording of pupils taken outside a nearby secondary school. Yet he was today given a suspended sentence – the length of which means he doesn’t have to sign on the Sex Offenders Register. Liverpool Crown Court heard Border Force workers checked a package at London Stansted Airport on May 9 last year. Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, said the FedEx parcel, marked “silicon doll”, was destined for Sharratt’s address. Officers believed it was a “child sex doll” and informed Merseyside Police, who went to his home two days later. When arrested at the property, Sharratt replied: “It’s just a doll because I live on my own.” Mr Blasbery said police found “high tech equipment” including three computers, hard drives and a webcam in his living room. They also uncovered plastic crates, one of which contained “a plastic home-made sex doll with an apparent child’s head”. Mr Blasbery said: “Within a wardrobe there were two further dolls, one appearing to represent a child wearing a school uniform.” He added: “A child dress-up hairdressing outfit was also concealed in a crate under a bed in a front bedroom.” A bag containing sex aids was recovered in a front bedroom, along with a camcorder set up to a TV and cassette tapes. Mr Blasbery said some of the recordings showed Sharratt “engaged in sexual activity with various home-made sex dolls”. He said: “One disk labelled up as ‘Schooly’ showed footage outside Haydock High School, a local secondary school near to his home address. “That footage, shot from a vehicle parked opposite or outside the high school, showed children walking by and entering the school.” One computer tower contained 46 animal porn files, which included 43 videos. A doctor examined the doll from China and said it had a stature equivalent to a child aged seven and a half to 10-years-old. However, they said the doll had both “childlike and adultlike features” as it had sexual characteristics of a female aged between 15 and a young adult. Sharratt told police his last relationship ended 16 years ago and he was lonely. He said he didn’t know the doll he imported was illegal and had researched online because he didn’t want to be ripped off. Sharratt said “Ivy”, 4ft 7in with long dark hair, had the option of being internally heated and boasted “a good review”. Mr Blasbery said he started to “sweat and fidget” when asked about his videos and the other dolls. The prosecutor said: “He said 12 months earlier he tried to make his own sex doll by using an old towel and ended up purchasing a doll from a toy shop and got clothes to dress them up. He said he wasn’t sexually attracted to them and was mainly using them as a sexual aid.” Sharratt said the imported doll was a lot younger than described on the website, which said ‘adult only’. He also said he downloaded the animal porn out of “curiosity” and hadn’t realised it was illegal. Sharratt admitted possessing extreme porn and the “improper importation of indecent or obscene goods”, namely “a child-sized sex doll”. However, he pleaded guilty to the latter offence on the basis that he believed he was importing an adult sex doll. Sharratt has 15 previous convictions for 29 offences, but nothing similar on his record. Judge Stuart Driver, QC, said: “The fact is, whatever suspicions there are, this man has not been convicted of an offence relating to children.” Michael Hagerty, defending, said previous reporting of the case had “created considerable difficulty” for his client. Mr Hagerty said: “He believed the doll was an adult sex doll, as shown in the screenshot from the website where the doll was ordered.” Judge Driver handed Sharratt six months in jail, suspended for 12 months, plus a 20-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. He said: “It’s important that the public know that you have not been convicted of committing an offence against a child, that the court can’t find as a fact that this doll was a child sex doll, and that the obscene material was not images of children.” The judge added: “What makes all the difference in this case is your state of health. A medical report has told me that you have terminal, inoperable prostate cancer and your life expectancy is reduced to a few years.” However, he warned: “You must understand the court has given you a chance because of your health, but if I see you again, that doesn’t mean you’re going to get a second chance.” June 2019 Pervert imported sex doll with “childlike features” A pervert who illegally imported a sex doll with “childlike features” was warned he could face jail – despite having terminal cancer. Darryl Sharratt was caught with a sickening stash of vile animal porn at his home in Park Avenue, Haydock, St Helens in May last year. Police discovered the 61-year-old had also amassed a “troubling” collection of small-sized sex dolls, plus “small female clothing”. The sex dolls included one ordered online 4ft 7in or 140cm in height, which an expert said had both “childlike and adultlike features”. But defence lawyers argued that Sharratt didn’t believe the doll had childlike features in a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court today. He sobbed in the dock when he admitted possessing 46 “extreme pornography images” showing people having sex with animals. Sharratt also admitted the “improper importation of indecent or obscene goods”, namely “a child-sized sex doll”, with “intent to evade a prohibition”. However, the court heard that while he accepted importing the doll, he did so on the basis that he thought he had ordered an adult sex doll. Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, said: “He’s pleaded guilty on the basis it was indecent or obscene, but not on the basis that it was a child sex doll.” Mr Blasbery said officers also found other sex dolls “which were childlike in appearance”, however, Sharratt was not charged with importing these. Judge Stuart Driver, QC, said he wanted to see a written basis of plea, but rejected one put forward by Sharratt in which he denied “importing a doll with childlike features”. The judge said: “This item is a doll of childlike quality and dimensions, with female breasts, that effectively make it obscene. “The defendant has pleaded guilty to it being an obscene item but hasn’t gone as far as to say it was obscene because it has got any childlike features.” He added: “This is a man, there is additional evidence from items seized in the defendant’s possession that he had a sexual interest in females that were of an age of – if I can create a phrase – on the borderline between child and adult. “He had an interest in a school, I’ve seen a photo of small female clothing that was seized from his home and of course, there is the small size of the other dolls that he had in his possession, so when it comes to sentencing, the court will be troubled by that. “And this is a doll which is in that category, it’s neither obviously all adult, nor obviously all child. It’s somewhere, something of a combination of the two.” Judge Driver said: “There is no pubic hair, it’s a small size and it appears to be designed to look youthful.” Mr Hargerty said his client believed he was ordering what was shown in a screengrab of an online advert and that it was for the judge to decide whether it was childlike. He said: “The defendant did not believe he was importing a doll with childlike features.” Judge Driver said: “In my judgement it has some childlike features and in the judgement of expert witnesses.” After Sharratt withdrew this denial, the judge adjourned sentencing until July 8, for a pre-sentence report. Judge Driver said: “I think there is a bit of background here. The Probation Service need to look into this properly. “It’s an unusual case for them as well as us.”