PATRICK DOWNEY OF LIVERPOOL BRANDED DANGEROUS FOR REPEATED CHILD SEX OFFENCES
A convicted child sex offender from Liverpool, Patrick Downey, 40, has been described as "dangerous" due to his continued possession and download of indecent images of children.Downey has a lengthy criminal history spanning two decades, marked by multiple convictions and periods of imprisonment related to his disturbing sexual interests.
Last year, police raided Downey's home on Peel Road, Bootle, on May 13.
During their search, officers seized a Samsung mobile phone, a laptop, and a MacBook.
They discovered 98 Category A images on the devices, including one depicting a boy as young as four being raped.
Additionally, there were 178 Category B images—some involving toddlers—and 150 Category C images, including one showing a child aged three to four.
Prosecutor Paul Blasbery explained that Downey admitted to three counts of downloading and one count of possessing indecent images of children.
The possession of Category A images, the most severe category involving child rape, carries a sentencing guideline of between 26 weeks and three years.
Judge Andrew Menary, QC, noted the gravity of Downey’s crimes, stating: "The offence plainly is bad enough in and of itself, but in your case it's particularly grave because of your history of this type of behaviour.
On any view, by any measure, you are plainly someone who has a very serious and unhealthy interest in young children.
You are, by the strict definition of that word, frankly a paedophile." Downey’s criminal record includes 46 convictions, covering dishonesty and multiple sexual offences.
He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register in 2003 following convictions for gross indecency with a child and related offences.
In 2007, he was issued a lifelong Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) after allowing a 16-year-old boy to stay at his home.
He continued to offend, with convictions for downloading indecent images in 2008 and again in 2014, when he was also found to have been distributing such material.
During this 2014 incident, Downey, then residing on Wellfield Road, Walton, was deemed a "dangerous offender" legally and was sentenced to three years in prison, with an extended five-year licence period, meaning he remained on licence at the time of his latest offences.
In March 2019, Downey was sentenced to two years and eight months after impersonating his husband to obtain a managerial job at a Blackpool hotel, which granted him direct access to children.
His breach of licence conditions was highlighted as he failed to inform authorities of his move from Merseyside and met with another registered sex offender while in the resort.
During today’s hearing, Downey’s defense solicitor, John Weate, stated that his client no longer stood by previous remarks made in a pre-sentence report and accepted responsibility for the offences.
Mr.
Weate requested that Downey receive full credit—one third—for his early guilty pleas and acknowledged Downey’s classification as a "high risk." He also noted the judge might again find Downey to be a dangerous individual, given his history.
