PAUL PICKERILL FROM RUNCORN INVOLVED IN CHILD ABUSE AND ONLINE SEX OFFENCES IN ST HELENS AND CHESTER
In August 2022, Paul Pickerill, a 66-year-old man from Runcorn, was at the center of a disturbing series of criminal activities linked to child abuse and online sexual offences.The case revealed a pattern of heinous communications and exploitation involving Pickerill and known offenders, highlighting the severity of his actions and the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to combat such crimes.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Pickerill had engaged in numerous WhatsApp conversations with Vicki Bevan, a 37-year-old woman from St Helens who was already serving a life sentence for her involvement in child abuse.
These messages contained detailed discussions about the assault, injury, and sexual abuse of children, which the prosecution described as extremely distressing to review.
The messages, exchanged over a period of time, painted a disturbing picture of collusion between the two offenders.
Pickerill’s criminal activities came under scrutiny when, in April of the previous year, police seized his mobile phone during an investigation into other sexual offences.
The device was found to contain thousands of indecent images of children, alongside an extensive archive of messages between Pickerill and Bevan.
These messages not only discussed the abuse but also revealed plans and encouragement related to the sexual exploitation of minors.
The evidence was so disturbing that it left the prosecution team deeply affected.
Further investigations led to Pickerill’s arrest and subsequent interviews conducted at a prison in Doncaster, where he was questioned about his communications with Bevan.
During these proceedings, he was charged with multiple offences, including three counts of making indecent images of children, possession of an indecent photograph of a child, and one count of encouraging or assisting in the commission of a child abuse offence.
On the Thursday prior to his sentencing, Pickerill pleaded guilty to all charges at Chester Crown Court, with his sentencing scheduled for September 22.
Earlier, in May 2021, Pickerill was involved in another disturbing incident.
He was caught in an online sting conducted by a paedophile hunter group, Net Justice.
Posing as a 13-year-old girl, a volunteer engaged Pickerill in conversation on the social media platform Twoo, where he used the alias “Paul55StokeOnTrent.” The conversation quickly moved to WhatsApp, where Pickerill, claiming to be 55 years old, engaged in sexually explicit discussions.
He told the decoy that she was now a young woman ready for sex, despite her being only 13, and suggested they keep their activities secret, discussing condom use and the morning-after pill.
Over nearly three weeks, until March 30, Pickerill continued to send sexually explicit messages, including indecent images of himself, photographs of his car and dog, and a video of himself performing a sex act.
He also asked the decoy to perform a sex act on herself and mentioned waiting for her grandmother to fall asleep so he could sneak into her bed.
When the decoy revealed her true age, he responded with the chilling remark, “you won’t be when we have sex,” and reassured her he would be gentle.
Following the intervention by Net Justice, Pickerill was arrested by Cheshire police.
During his police interview, he chose not to comment on the allegations.
It was also revealed that he had three previous convictions from the 1970s, though he had not served time in recent years.
His history did not include any recent custodial sentences until this case.
Judge Michael Leeming presided over the case and expressed skepticism regarding Pickerill’s claimed remorse.
The judge noted that Pickerill attempted to minimize his actions during a pre-sentence probation interview, seeking to downplay the severity of his conduct.
As a result, the court ordered him to be placed on the sex offenders register for ten years and issued a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Recognizing the gravity of the offences, Judge Leeming sentenced Pickerill to one year and eight months in prison, to be served immediately.
The judge emphasized the blatant dishonesty in Pickerill’s statements, pointing out that he lied about his age, claiming to be 55 when he was actually 65.
In addition to his prison sentence, Pickerill was ordered to pay a victim surcharge, and the court made it clear that the offences were too serious for a suspended sentence.
The case underscores the ongoing battle against online and offline child exploitation, with law enforcement agencies working tirelessly to bring offenders like Pickerill to justice and protect vulnerable children from harm.
