November 2017 Sick pervert told boys ‘don’t grass, it’s not illegal’ A paedophile who performed a sex act on himself in front of three young boys playing in the street told them ‘don’t grass, it’s not illegal’. Gary O’Brien targeted the youngsters, who were all aged under 10, in an alleyway in Salford, Manchester Crown Court heard. After one of the boys raised the alarm to a passerby, the man tracked down O’Brien, grabbing him and detaining him until the police arrived. Now O’Brien, 45, who appeared to smirk during the hearing via video link from prison, has been give a 20-month sentence. The boys’ mothers has told how the youngsters were initially too scared to go and play out again following the ordeal. Prosecuting, Duncan Wilcock told how the victims were approached by O’Brien on June 15 in an alleyway. He told one boy: “Don’t be afraid. Watch me.” He told another boy: “Don’t be scared. Don’t grass, it’s not illegal.” One of the boys left the alleyway and told a man nearby what had happened. The Good Samaritan found O’Brien standing in some bushes with his back to a wall. Mr Wilcock said he ‘took hold’ of O’Brien and detained him until police arrived. In a victim impact statement, one mother said she was ‘worried sick’ following the incident. She said: “I don’t like my son being outside on his own as I am terrified something terrible might happen to him.” Another said it was about five weeks before their son was able to go back outside and play with his friends again. O’Brien, who has a previous conviction for indecently assaulting a boy, declined to answer questions after being arrested. O’Brien, of Barton Lane, Eccles, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in sexual activity with a child.