DANGEROUS CARLISLE PAEDOPHILE DAVID MAWDSLEY CAUGHT IN ONLINE STING AND SENTENCED TO PRISON
In March 2021, a notorious sex offender from Carlisle, David Mawdsley, aged 46, was brought to justice after a vigilant online sting operation conducted by a volunteer group known as Confronted & Caught successfully identified and captured him.Mawdsley's residence at the time was on Lowther Street in Carlisle, where he was actively engaged in attempting to contact and groom young girls for sexual purposes.
Members of the activist group created a fake online profile, posing as a 13-year-old girl, to lure potential predators.
Despite making it explicitly clear that she was a minor, Mawdsley, using a false name, initiated sexually explicit conversations.
He asked the decoy to perform sexual acts and even sent explicit photos of himself.
This pattern of predatory behavior was not isolated; on November 18, Mawdsley engaged in a similar conversation with another decoy, believing she was a 14-year-old girl.
The group’s volunteers, acting swiftly, detained Mawdsley on Lowther Street two days later as he approached what he believed was a meeting with a woman for sex.
The arrest was part of a citizen’s initiative to combat online child exploitation, and the group handed him over to police authorities for further investigation.
During the court proceedings at Carlisle Crown Court, it was revealed that Mawdsley's criminal record included three prior convictions related to similar offenses.
He had previously served jail time for these crimes, highlighting a troubling pattern of behavior.
Prosecutor Alaric Walmsley outlined that Mawdsley's recent actions demonstrated a continued risk to children, especially considering that these offenses occurred within just three weeks of his release from prison.
Representing Mawdsley, solicitor Tim Evans acknowledged that his client was facing a difficult realization—that unless he changed his behavior, he would continue to be prosecuted and face imprisonment.
However, the court was less forgiving.
Recorder Abigail Hudson described Mawdsley as a “dangerous” individual, emphasizing her concern that he was likely to engage children in further sexual communication and attempt to incite them into sexual activity again.
She pointed out that Mawdsley's recent offenses occurred shortly after his release from incarceration, underscoring the ongoing threat he posed.
As a result, she ordered Mawdsley to be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely and imposed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which prohibits him from having any unsupervised contact with minors.
Additionally, Mawdsley was sentenced to 32 months in prison, with the requirement that he serve at least two-thirds of this sentence before being eligible for release on licence.
Following his release, he will be subject to a five-year extended licence period.
Earlier in November 2020, Mawdsley had already admitted to multiple sexual offenses involving minors aged 13 to 15 in Carlisle.
He pleaded guilty to six charges, including attempting to communicate sexually with a child and inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity.
He also admitted to breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order issued by Bolton Crown Court in 2018, which prohibited him from contacting minors under 16.
The court was informed that Mawdsley's actions were caught on video by the vigilante group, and footage of the incident was shared on Facebook and handed over to police authorities.
Mawdsley was remanded in custody and scheduled to appear before Carlisle Crown Court for sentencing in January.
