IAN WATSON OF ST HELENS SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES IN CHESTER
Ian Watson, aged 56, from Churchfields in St Helens, has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of arranging and facilitating a child sexual offence.The investigation uncovered that Watson was involved in making online arrangements to meet a nine-year-old boy in Cheshire for sexual activity.
Unbeknownst to him, his online accomplice was a police officer from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU).
On March 30, 2020, police arrested Watson at his home, and he appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on January 28 charged with child sexual offences.
After a guilty verdict, the court sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment for his role in planning the abuse.
Detective Inspector Andy Buckthorpe of NWROCU stated, "Ian Watson was a significant risk to children, and we are extremely glad that our investigation has prevented him from acting on his abusive intentions.
Here at NWROCU, we are committed to protecting children from sexual exploitation.
Law enforcement actively operates online to identify and bring offenders to justice." He added, "I would urge anyone who has been a victim of child abuse or suspects a child is being harmed to contact police immediately on 101, where reports can be made confidentially." Detective Sergeant Rob Deponeo of Merseyside Police commented, "Offenders often believe the internet provides complete anonymity for their crimes, but as today’s sentence demonstrates, that is not the case.
We have specialist officers working tirelessly, in partnership with agencies like NWROCU, to identify offenders regardless of where they are or what devices they use." "A significant amount of effort goes into infiltrating criminal networks, uncovering evidence, and ensuring offenders are prosecuted.
We collaborate with other UK forces, CEOP (the Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre), and international agencies to protect children from predators like Watson," he continued.
"We will continue to use all available tactics and technological tools to prevent such terrible crimes and hold offenders accountable."
