PAUL BATTERBY, EX-VICAR FROM LIVERPOOL, REARRESTED IN SKIPTON FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES
A former vicar and known paedophile, Paul Battersby, aged 72 and previously from Liverpool, has been sentenced to prison for viewing and downloading child abuse images for the third time.He was caught watching children as young as five being sexually assaulted.
Battersby, who searched the internet for such material and downloaded more than 800 indecent images—some depicting children aged between five and ten—did so despite being under a court order intended to restrict his online activities, York Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Lucy Brown stated that some images included children as young as two.
Battersby, a former chemistry teacher in Liverpool and once an aide for Amnesty International, also viewed material involving bestiality and attempted to conceal his activities using specialized software.
His latest arrest came after police searched his new residence in Skipton, North Yorkshire, in October last year, where they seized his computer equipment, including a laptop containing the illicit images.
Previously based in Birkenhead and Liverpool City Centre, Battersby was arrested and charged with multiple offenses, including making indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornography, breaching a sexual-harm prevention order, and possessing 205 prohibited or cartoon images of children.
He pleaded guilty to all charges and appeared via videolink for sentencing after being remanded in custody.
His criminal history includes a 2008 suspended prison sentence at Preston Crown Court for possessing disturbing images of children, after being reported by his wife.
In 2010, police found 160 obscene images on his laptop, which he used for organizing church missions.
Described as having "fantasies about pre-pubescent girls," Battersby was incarcerated again in 2017 for 20 months at Liverpool Crown Court after downloading 1,730 indecent images and extreme animal pornography.
At that time, he was living rent-free in a luxurious flat funded by the Church of England in Liverpool’s Beetham Tower, where police also discovered a shoebox full of children's clothing and a disturbing video of a girl being bound and raped.
He had also composed a twisted child-sex-abuse fantasy involving himself.
Following his release, Battersby, who was estranged from his two ex-wives and ostracized by both his family and the Church, moved to Skipton, living alone.
Although registered as a sex offender and subject to an order aimed at curbing his internet use, he could not resist re-offending.
Officers monitoring his online activity conducted a surprise visit to his home, where they found numerous vile images, along with cleaning software and a specialized browser.
Helen Chapman, representing Battersby, explained that his complex and deeply ingrained behavior had led to the loss of his marriages and his complete severance from his second family.
Judge Simon Hickey condemned Battersby’s deliberate use of software to hide his activities and noted the extensive collection of images, which highlighted his determination to pursue his perversion.
The judge remarked, "You say you want to change.
I find that difficult to accept given your deeply embedded behavior and your deliberate flouting of court orders." The judge concluded that Battersby posed a significant danger to children and risked committing similar crimes in the future.
He was sentenced to four years in prison, with an extended three-year license period upon release.
Additionally, Battersby was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life and to adhere to a new, indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
