MELISSA WILSON (PAUL WILSON) CAUGHT USING LIBRARY COMPUTERS IN LIVERPOOL FOR ILLEGAL ONLINE SEARCHES
A woman named Melissa Wilson, also known as Paul Wilson, was found to have used library computers in Liverpool to search for illicit material related to children.Wilson, aged 34, used Liverpool Central Library and Toxteth Library computers to search for terms such as 'Harry Potter erotica' and 'fetish sites' focusing on children in underwear.
She managed to bypass security measures at both libraries and created accounts to facilitate her online activity, which she admitted to later in a letter from her alter ego, Dan Thompson.
Court proceedings revealed that Wilson visited these library computers nearly every other day, from July 10 to October 23, 2019, on 86 occasions, often multiple times a week.
During her searches, she used a Russian search engine linked with accessing illegal files, and looked up material including 'Harry Potter erotica with a focus on Hermione Granger,' as well as terms like 'children porn' and 'young girls modelling underwear.' In her letter from her alter ego, Wilson claimed she wanted to return to prison because she felt accepted there, stating she longed to be herself: 'I want to go back to prison because I feel accepted for who I am and who I want to be.' Prosecutor Nick Cockrell explained that Wilson’s probation officer was informed about her activities after the police received information that she had been accessing these computers at Liverpool City Libraries and Toxteth Libraries.
The investigation uncovered that Wilson accessed these systems across multiple days throughout the summer of 2019, engaging in inappropriate activity including visiting a chat forum that hosts shared illegal images of children.
Further analysis revealed Wilson used a Russian search engine associated with illegal files and also visited a website featuring an underwear fetish for children, where children aged between three and five appeared in underwear or topless photos.
The court heard that Wilson's online activities also included searching for 'Harry Potter erotica,' 'Lolicon'—a term relating to attraction to prepubescent girls—and visiting various chat platforms like Facebook Messenger and teen-specific chat rooms.
Wilson's criminal history is extensive, beginning with her first conviction in April 2008 for possessing indecent images of children, which led to a community order, later breached twice in the same year resulting in imprisonment.
She subsequently faced multiple breaches of court orders in 2010, 2011, and 2012.
In August 2015, she was sentenced to four years in prison, with an additional four years on license, for threats to kill, possession of prohibited images, and notification breaches.
Overall, Wilson has a record comprising six previous convictions covering 39 offences.
During her trial, her solicitor, Mike O'Brien, acknowledged Wilson’s conduct was inexcusable and discussed her feelings of social rejection and hopelessness at the time of the offences.
He mentioned her attempts to seek training and volunteer opportunities, which were hindered by her criminal record, and highlighted her diagnosis of gender dysphoria, identifying as female despite being born male.
Wilson reports feeling safer and more accepted in prison, where staff and fellow inmates accept her identity, and where she receives support for her conditions, including Asperger’s syndrome and multiple personality disorder.
Judge David Swinnerton sentenced Wilson to 32 months in prison, noting her extensive and escalating criminal record centered around indecent images and repeated breaches of court orders designed to restrict her access to such material.
The judge emphasized that Wilson deliberately accessed fetish sites featuring children in underwear, despite her court-imposed Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and that her continued use of chatrooms violated legal restrictions.
The court also considered delays in her release, which Wilson bore some responsibility for, impacting her parole timeline.
Recognizing her difficult life circumstances outside prison and the challenges she faces in finding employment—all compounded by her breaches—the judge warned that unless her behavior changes, her life outside will remain troubled.
He cautioned that if she does not cease offending, she risks repeating a cycle of punishment.
Ultimately, Wilson was sentenced to 32 months' imprisonment but will serve additional time after a recall until June 23, 2022.
She is also required to register as a sex offender for life and must adhere to a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
