PAUL ELLIS AND SHOCKING CHILD SEX OFFENCE IN ABERGELE AND LIVERPOOL

A 64-year-old man named Paul Ellis from Market Street, Abergele, was involved in a disturbing case involving child sexual offences that took place in September 2021. Ellis had arranged to meet what he believed was a 13-year-old girl from her school in Liverpool, intending to engage in sexual activity. Unbeknownst to him, the individual he was communicating with was actually a police decoy, designed to catch individuals attempting to exploit minors.

The incident came to light when Ellis, after initially planning to meet the girl, decided to cancel the arrangement. Despite this, authorities arrested him shortly afterward. During the court proceedings, Ellis admitted to the charges of arranging or facilitating a child sex offence. The case was heard at Mold Crown Court, where the presiding judge, Mr. Recorder Simon Mills, emphasized the serious nature of the crime and the potential danger Ellis posed to children.

The court revealed that Ellis had previously been subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) due to earlier offending. However, within just three months of completing his supervision with the Probation Service, he had resumed similar behaviors, indicating a troubling pattern of re-offending.

Prosecutor Simon Mintz detailed the online interactions that led to the arrest. In September 2021, Ellis engaged in a conversation via WhatsApp with someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl named Courtney. During these exchanges, Ellis falsely claimed to be a 45-year-old man named Dave. The messages included sexualized questions and inquiries about whether the girl was wearing a school uniform. He then made arrangements to pick her up from her school in Liverpool on September 24 and bring her to his flat in North Wales. Additionally, Ellis offered to assist her in obtaining contraceptive pills.

A few days before the planned meeting, Ellis canceled the arrangement but instructed the decoy to keep it secret. When arrested, Ellis initially denied knowing that the girl was a minor. However, he later confessed to the offence of arranging to meet a child for sexual purposes and admitted to breaching his existing SHPO. Police seized two iPhones, which mirrored each other and had a virtual private network (VPN) installed, indicating efforts to conceal his online activity.

Defence lawyer Sarah Badrawy acknowledged her client’s admissions and pointed out that Ellis had not re-offended since the 2021 incident. Nonetheless, the court was told that his online conversations had been highly sexualized and manipulative, with Ellis lying about his identity and age.

Judge Mills highlighted the gravity of Ellis’s actions, stating, “The risk of serious harm to children is obvious.” He emphasized that Ellis believed he was communicating with a minor and was actively planning to meet her for sexual purposes. The judge underscored that Ellis’s behavior demonstrated a significant and ongoing threat to public safety, especially to children.

The court also noted that if Ellis were to offend again, he could face life imprisonment. As part of his sentence, Ellis was sentenced to five and a half years in prison, with an extended supervision period of four years. Additionally, he received a concurrent ten-month sentence for breaching the SHPO. The judge reaffirmed that the SHPO would remain in effect for life, underscoring the ongoing risk posed by Ellis’s actions.