October 2021 Mum’s little boy was raped after she ignored police warnings A little boy could have been saved from rape if his mum hadn’t ignored repeated warnings from police and social services. David Bradbury filmed and encouraged William Gamble as the 65-year-old carried out horrific sexual abuse against the child. Bradbury, 55, later offered to pay the boy’s mum £30 for more access to the victim. The “dangerous” rapists, who “acted as a team”, were both jailed for 16 years, with an extended one year on licence, in March. But the boy’s mum, who cannot be named because that would identify her son, appeared for sentence, after she admitted child neglect and conceded that she had deliberately and repeatedly exposed her son to the risk of sexual abuse. Liverpool Crown Court heard police visited the mum’s home and learned her son was regularly sleeping in the same bed as Gamble last year. Sarah Holt, prosecuting, said the mum confirmed this was true, but said: “They’re fully clothed, you know, nothing like that.” An officer told her he had “real concerns”, this contact should stop and under no circumstances should Gamble be left alone with the boy. Ms Holt said the mum claimed she wanted nothing more to do with Gamble and the officer spoke to the boy, who said he was friends with Gamble, but didn’t disclose any abuse. Following concerns raised by the officer, a social worker was allocated to the family, who later discovered the boy was at Gamble and Bradbury’s home in St Helens. The court heard the mum said she “couldn’t say no” to the pair and the boy was seen with his head in his hands, shaking and repeating: “I hate my life.” The mum again said she wouldn’t let her son go to their home and was told not to let him speak to them unsupervised. However, social services later found Bradbury had talked to the boy unsupervised and the boy had asked his mum if he could visit them, because he missed them. Later that day, the mum sent Bradbury a text message saying: “Send him home at 7 please.” In a reply from his phone, Bradbury asked the mum whether he could sleep in bed with her son on three occasions, adding: “I will give you 30 pound.” She replied: “No, not allowed social worker said so.” On another day, she text Bradbury saying “thank you for the crisp Dave” to which he replied “no thanks needed can I just ask can I see him any” and she answered “when the social worker says so I got a by by her”. The mum text Bradbury on another occasion saying “good night Dave thank you for he’s sweets x”. Ms Holt said social services decided the boy was “at risk of significant harm” and a safety plan was outlined to the mum. She was invited to an “Initial Child Protection Conference”, but later on the same day she received the invite, her son was twice filmed being raped. It was decided at the conference that a child protection order should be made, under the category of neglect. The mum was told her son should not have any contact with the couple and said she had been following the safety plan. The court heard the mum was reminded of this on three further occasions. However, on a further date her son asked her on WhatsApp if he could go to the couple’s house and she gave him a time to be home. There were numerous video calls between the boy and Gamble and in one voice note the mum asked her son to be home by 9pm. Ms Holt said the mum also sent a photo of her son lying on a rug and two photos of the boy in school uniform to Gamble. Three videos were created on two further dates, which showed the boy being raped at Gamble and Bradbury’s home. The mum and Gamble exchanged further texts and calls, before she was visited by two detectives and a social worker, when she claimed she hadn’t seen the couple recently. The abuse was only discovered after Gamble and Bradbury uploaded an image of child abuse, not involving the same boy, to Facebook. When police raided their home they discovered indecent photos and videos, plus sweets, toys and games, used to groom their victim. The boy’s dad said his son was too distressed to talk about the abuse and the court heard he has “conflicting” feelings towards his mum, who he now sees under supervision for three hours a week, via social services. Judge Flewitt said why she would have thought they wanted the photos she sent them against that background “defies belief”. He said: “Those offences would not have happened if you had followed the advice you had been given. You may have been vulnerable, but you were not so stupid that you did not appreciate the risks. “It was acknowledged on your behalf that you deliberately and repeatedly exposed your son to the risk of sexual abuse.” Judge Flewitt said: “It is hard to imagine a more serious form of neglect.” He jailed the mum for four years, after giving her one third credit for her early guilty pleas. March 2021 Two men raped little boy then offered his mum £30 after being caught by Facebook post TWO men who raped a young boy then offered his mum £30 have been jailed for 16 years each. David Bradbury, 55, and William Gamble, 65, were caught by police after posting an image of unrelated child abuse to Facebook. The abuse was a case of “classic grooming” and took place for almost two years from October 2018 starting when the boy was aged six. A judge said the vile couple had “acted as a team” and groomed the child with sweets, toys and games. Police who raided their home found horrific pictures and video showing Bradbury encouraging Gamble as he abused the child. In one, Gamble was seen raping the boy Caging the sick pair, Judge Rachel Smith told Liverpool Crown Court: “You embarked on a course of grooming and sexually abusive behaviour.” She said: “You acted as a team”. The court was told the couple “exploited” and groomed the boy before Gamble committed “physical acts” of abuse while Bradbury filmed, later offering to pay the little boy’s mum £30. Bradbury would sometimes join in the abuse, jurors heard. Judge Smith said Bradbury “commented on the quality of the recording you were making at the time”. The comments were “clear evidence of Bradbury encouraging Gamble to continue with the rape”, the judge said. Gamble and Bradbury, of St Helens, Merseyside, were told that they shouldn’t contact the boy, but they continued to try. Judge Smith said: “You persisted with it in the face of involvement of the police.” Gamble and Bradbury, from St Helens, Merseyside, were arrested on October 26 last year . Their crimes were uncovered when an indecent image of a different child was uploaded to Facebook. Cops found 14 category-A images – the most serious and which included child rape – four category B images and three category C images, on devices at the men’s home. John Wyn-Williams, prosecuting, said police “seized a notebook which contained a list of about 500 names”. They are believed to be Facebook contacts, with jurors told “many are foreign names”. The judge said the notebook showed “extensive contact with an all male group on the internet”, but said there was no evidence of distribution of images of the young boy. When asked about the abuse during interview, the boy he “wanted to keep secrets from himself” and “not remember it”. In a victim impact statement, the child’s father said: “Every single day I worry about the time [his son] will be old enough to fully realise what happened to him. “I dread this and know it will be a terrible day.” Gamble and Bradbury both admitted four counts of rape, two sexual assaults and two assaults by penetration, as well as taking indecent videos associated with each act. The court heard Gamble had no relevant previous convictions and that Bradbury has a conviction for exposure in 1995. Caging them for 16 years each with one year on licence., Judge Smith branded Bradbury and Gamble “dangerous” offenders