ERIC SAVAGE CAUGHT IN RUNCORN AND RAINFORD: SEX OFFENDER'S REPEATED CRIMES AND COURT BATTLE

In a disturbing series of events spanning over several years, Eric Savage, a known sex offender from Rainford and Runcorn, has once again found himself in court facing serious allegations related to his inappropriate online conduct and attempts to meet minors for sexual purposes.

Back in January 2021, Savage appeared before Liverpool Magistrates' Court to answer charges of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) that was previously imposed following his 2018 conviction. The court heard that Savage, aged 68 at the time, had engaged in conversations with what he believed to be a 15-year-old girl, violating the strict conditions of his order which prohibited any unsupervised contact with females under the age of 16. This breach was particularly serious given his status as a registered sex offender, a designation that came after his conviction on April 24, 2018, for attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming activities.

Prosecutor Amanda York explained that Savage had been convicted of attempting to meet a female under 16 and was sentenced to 15 months in prison. As part of his sentence, a SHPO was imposed, explicitly forbidding him from having any unsupervised contact with minors and restricting his access to devices capable of internet use unless under specific conditions. Despite these restrictions, authorities received information on October 9, 2019, from a member of the Hunting 4 Justice group, a paedophile-hunting organization, that Savage had been communicating with a decoy profile in an online chatroom. The profile was designed to resemble a 15-year-old girl, and police observed a lengthy exchange between Savage and the decoy.

From his profile picture, authorities identified Savage, who resides on Damson Grove in Rainford. Following this, he voluntarily attended a police station, where he made full and frank admissions regarding his online activities. The court was informed that Savage had a prior conviction related to his 2018 arrest, during which he told the decoy that “it was her secret” and expressed a desire to be in bed with someone later, indicating his ongoing predatory intentions. When Savage attempted to meet the decoy at Runcorn Station on the night of March 28, 2020, he was confronted by members of Hunting 4 Justice, who detained him until police arrived. Savage denied the charge of inciting a child into sexual activity but later pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child following grooming.

He was remanded into custody for his own safety, especially after the group live-streamed the confrontation on Facebook. Savage’s history also includes a previous incident in May 2018, when he was caught in a similar online trap, this time by the same paedophile-hunting group. During that incident, Savage had arranged to meet what he believed was a 14-year-old girl for “sexy fun,” only to discover he was speaking to an adult woman who was part of Hunting 4 Justice. The group used a fake profile with a picture of her sister at age 13 or 14, with her permission, to lure him.

In court, prosecutor Peter Hussey detailed Savage’s explicit conversations, including his statements about sexual acts he wished to perform and his past experiences evading detection. Savage, who has been married twice—first ending after his wife was caught in bed with another man, and second ending amicably after four children—admitted to the charges. Judge Simon Berkson sentenced him to 15 months in prison, deducting the time already served on remand. Additionally, Savage was placed under a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and registered as a sex offender for the next decade, underscoring the severity of his repeated offenses and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.