May 022 Burnley paedophile who assaulted sisters jailed for contacting them A paedophile who targeted two young sisters has been sent back to prison after breaching his sexual harm prevention order by trying to contact them again. Michael Heffernan was jailed for assaulting a young girl just months after he was released from prison for sending her sister sexually explicit texts. He has now been handed another 12 months behind bars after breaching a sexual harm prevention order in relation to the siblings. A former youth worker, Heffernan, 66, was jailed for eight and a half years in 2014 for sexually assaulting a girl. He was already subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order which was imposed on him in 2011 when he was jailed for 16 months after he sent his second victim’s sister sexually explicit messages. When he was sentenced in 2014 he received another sexual harm prevention order, under which he was not allowed to contact the siblings, and was placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely. However, in November last year, the siblings came into contact with him in Burnley His first victim, who he committed crimes against in 2011 when she was 12, believed she was in a relationship with the former youth worker and sent semi-naked picture messages to him after the most recent meeting. Her younger sister – his second victim – and her mother also made contact with the pervert via texts and a fake Facebook account, which Heffernan said had been set up by one of the girls. Prosecuting, Niamh McGinty said: “From January to March 2011, the defendant sent a number of sexually explicit texts to a 12-year-old girl and was jailed for 16 months and handed a sexual harm prevention order, which banned him from contacting his victim “Then in 2014 he was sentenced for eight and a half years for assaulting the first victim’s younger sister.  “A restraining order was also made in relation to the sisters. “Upon his release the defendant was monitored by the police and they were contacted on November 24 last year by a member of the public, a former officer, who was concerned about the behaviour of Heffernan towards the two women and their mother. “The member of the public knew these women to be his previous two victims, and one of the women said she was in a relationship with him. “The police visited his home address on December 7 and found two mobile phones with messages from his second victim, their mother, and his first victim, who had been saved in his phone under the name of ‘my beautiful girl’. “Screenshots were found from his first victim showing her in her underwear. “Officers also found the defendant had been using a Facebook account in the name of John White and a Snapchat account to contact the siblings, who are now in their 20s.” Ms McGinty said when looking at his phone, police found no evidence of any contact with any other children, only the two sisters.  She went on: “The victims are not happy with the prosecution’s case. They appear to have been groomed by him and one even wants a relationship with him. “They want to have contact with the defendant and want to vary the notification requirements.” Sending Heffernan back to prison, Judge Medland said: “This man is very much older than her and has offended against her and her sister. “She is not a child anymore, but she is still a vulnerable woman. “These women were victims of prolonged grooming by the defendant despite them being now adults.” John Woodward, for Heffernan, said the 66-year-old had been in custody for some time and couldn’t have groomed anyone while in prison. He said: “When he was released in 2019 he happened upon his first victim in Burnley town centre and since then has been approached by her. “An application should have been made by the defendant or by the victim to have the prevention order removed. “He pleaded guilty at the very outset to the allegations against him. “He didn’t put an alias in his phone in relation to his first victim, that was her, and the only thing he has done is contact these previous victims, not anyone else. “His offending is directed solely at the previous victims, there’s no harmful behaviour taken place and he’s done nothing wrong.” Judge Medland said: “The orders are not just there to prevent the offenders from doing something, they are also there to protect people who may be victims of harmful behaviour that might have happened a long, long time ago. “I am not sure I can agree with what you are saying. “I don’t think it’s right to amend the notifications and I don’t accept that nothing wrong has happened.  “The order was there to protect someone he previously abused, someone whose view of the world and him is likely to be confused. “Granted the victim is now in her 20s and capable of consenting with another person, but I have to approach this on the basis that the order is there to protect the victim.” Mr Woodward put it to the judge that the court was trying to control the victim’s behaviour and an application to remove the conditions of the order would be made in due course.  Judge Medland added: “This is quite a complicated set of facts, where the victim came upon you by chance and contact was resumed. “That is not allowed under the order but at some point in the future there will be a hearing to decide whether it’s right to allow contact between you and the victim. “But because of the facts of the case, when set against the background of your previous offending, the only appropriate sentence is one of imprisonment.” Heffernan pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and two counts of breaching his notification requirements and was jailed for 12 months.  March 2014 Dangerous Burnley paedophile jailed for eight years A danegrous paedophile, who repeatedly molested a girl just months after he was released from jail for sending her sister sexually explicit texts, has been sent to prison for eight-and-a-half years. Former youth worker Michael Heffernan, 57, was subject to an indefinite sexual offences prevention order at the time of his latest perverted behaviour. He was banned from contacting, or associating with youngsters, and from having children at his house, unless supervised by an approved adult. Heffernan, who was on crutches in the dock, was last week found guilty, by a jury, of one charge of assault by penetration, and four specimen counts of sexual assault, after a trial. Heffernan, of Fir Street, Burnley, had denied the allegations, but admitted breaching the SOPO several times. He was also put on five years’ extended licence, and received another sexual offences prevention order, under which he is not allowed to contact the victims, and is on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely. The mother of the girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was earlier spared jail after admitting child neglect. Heffernan was sent to prison for 16 months in August 2011, after he sent the schoolgirl sexually explicit messages. He had been convicted of two allegations of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity. Police said then that Heffernan was considered to be a pillar of the community within the Stoops Estate area of Burnley, and was heavily involved with the local council, and youth groups, over the years. The sentencing hearing, on Monday, was told how Heffernan groomed, and then sexually attacked, the vulnerable girl over two to three months. Hugh Barton, defending, said Heffernan had had no convictions until the text message offences, and had had a ‘dramatic fall from grace’. Judge Lunt told Heffernan there was a signifcant risk of him causing serious harm at least to the two girls, if not to other girls like them. She said: “I am absolutely sure that you are a dangerous offender.” March 2014 Burnley paedophile set to be jailed again A PAEDOPHILE is behind bars facing another jail term after he was convicted of a series of sex offences against a girl. Ex-Burnley youth worker Michael Heffernan, 58, was found guilty of one charge of assault by penetration and four allegations of sexual assault, after a trial at Burnley Crown Court. The jury cleared him of a charge of rape. Heffernan, of Fir Street, Burnley, had denied the allegations. He was remanded in custody by Judge Beverley Lunt and will be sentenced for the offences and also for breaching a sexual offences prevention order, next Monday. Heffernan was locked up for 16 months in August 2011, after he sent sexually explicit text messages to a schoolgirl. The defendant had been convicted of two charges of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity. He had been given the indefinite SOPO when he was sentenced and under the order he is banned from contacting or associating with youngsters, unless supervised by an approved adult. Judge Lunt had told the defendant at the time that there was no alternative but to send him to prison as he had shown a worrying lack of empathy for his victim. She had told the hearing: “The facts of the case evidence his perverted thinking and that his standing in the community was a sham.” July 2013 Nelson sex offender (55) is back in court A Nelson man pleaded guilty to breaching the conditions of a Sexual Offences Prevention order six times when he appeared before Burnley Crown Court. Michael Heffernan (57), of Fir Street, admitted having contact with two females from whom he is banned and to failing to notify police a new address. The court ruled there should be a not guilty verdict on an allegation of contacing another female. A fourth allegation of child abduction was left to lie on the file. In the same case, Ann xxxxxx, of Cornholme, pleaded guilty to cruelty to a child under 16 in that she exposed a girl to undue risk. The case was adjourned until August 22nd for all-options pre-sentence reports on both defendants. June 2013 Burnley ex-youth worker accused of child abduction A FORMER youth worker from Burnley has appeared in court charged with a child abduction offence. Michael Heffernan, 57, was also accused of breaching a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO), when he appeared before the town’s crown court. Heffernan, who worked on the town’s Stoops Estate, was made the subject of a lifetime SOPO in August 2011 after he was convicted of sending sexually- explicit text messages to a 12-year-old girl. He is banned from contacting, or associating, with youngsters, or having unsupervised children in his house. Heffernan, of Fir Street, Burnley, did not enter any pleas to the new charges and was remanded in custody until July 15. The court heard he is alleged to have associated with a youngster, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at his home address, which had led to the breach and abduction charges on May 23. Recorder Anthony Cross QC was also told by defence counsel Hugh Barton that his client was on police bail over an allegation of sexual touching in relation to a second youngster. Heffernan, who has mobility problems, would be told in early July whether he would be formally charged and prosecuted over the touching claims, the court heard.