PAUL MANNION OF WARRINGTON SENTENCED IN LIVERPOOL FOR HISTORIC CHILD SEX OFFENCES
Paul Mannion, 63, of Warrington, was sentenced to eight years in prison yesterday at Liverpool Crown Court for a prolonged campaign of sexual abuse against a young boy in Widnes during the 1970s.Mannion pleaded guilty to eight charges, including sexual assault, inciting a child under 13, and rape.
His guilty pleas were entered on February 12, just before his victim was set to testify under cross-examination in a scheduled trial, which was subsequently abandoned.
The victim described the abuse as occurring regularly, with at least 10 separate incidents, all while he was under 10 years old.
Prosecutor Nicholas Williams recounted the harrowing details: Mannion, who was a teenager at the time of the abuse and also over 18 during some incidents, preyed on the boy over several years, warning him not to tell anyone because he believed they wouldn't believe him or would become angry.
Mannion also offered rewards such as 50p or ice cream to keep the boy silent.
The court heard that Mannion initiated the abuse by asking the child if he wanted to play 'tiddies,' and the assault spanned both Mannion's teenage years and adulthood.
The victim concealed the trauma for decades, turning to alcohol to cope before reporting the abuse to police two years prior.
His personal statement detailed his fears of being laughed at or shunned by friends if he revealed the abuse, and he described Mannion as having 'a grimy smell as though he hadn't showered' that 'will never go away.' Mr.
Williams noted the profound impact on the victim, stating he felt like a fraud, living with a secret that made him feel like he was not a man, with nightmares and an inability to forget the smell of Mannion.
The court also learned that Mannion was previously imprisoned in the late 1980s for raping another child after pleading guilty.
Defense lawyer Jo Maxwell explained that Mannion's guilty pleas spared his victim and witnesses from giving evidence again and referenced the Manning principle, which allows for reduced sentences during the pandemic’s harsher incarceration conditions.
She highlighted Mannion’s poor health, including heart failure, type-2 diabetes, and episodes of suicidal thoughts.
She also stated that Mannion had not committed any offenses since the period of abuse.
Maxwell did not oppose the lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposed on Mannion.
She described him as having a difficult upbringing and being 'emotionally unstable.' Judge Stuart Driver, QC, sentenced Mannion to eight years and ordered him to register as a sex offender for life.
The judge emphasized the vulnerability of the young victim and the lifelong effects of the abuse.
He remarked, 'One aggravating feature is the severe ongoing, indeed lifelong impact that your offending had upon your victim,' and noted that the rape was the culmination of years of abuse.
A victim surcharge was also imposed.
