PAUL ROBERTS SENTENCED IN LIVERPOOL FOR GROOMING AND ONLINE SEXUAL OFFENCES
A convicted sex offender, Paul Roberts, from St Helens, was found guilty of sending disturbing WhatsApp messages to a boy and suggesting a sexual 'prank' on his mother.Roberts, 37, who had previously groomed a child with gifts and invited him to his flat, engaged in inappropriate behavior during their visits.
While playing Xbox, he cuddled and kissed the boy, who also undressed after a water fight involving another child.
The details of the proposed prank, which are too obscene to publish, came to light after Roberts' online persona 'Saint' was uncovered.
Liverpool Crown Court heard Roberts, who was subject to a 10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) issued in October 2011, was previously convicted when he received a community order for possessing and sharing indecent images of children.
Prosecutor Charlotte Kenny stated that Roberts, of Boardsman Lane, St Helens, breached the SOPO in 2019 by having unsupervised contact with two children.
She explained that Roberts had regular contact with a boy—referred to as Boy A—with the permission of the boy's mother, which was deemed not a breach.
However, during a safeguarding investigation, Boy A disclosed that two friends had also unsupervised visits with Roberts, including trips to a cinema and park.
Ms.
Kenny emphasized that the parents of these children were unaware of Roberts' prior convictions.
As a result, Roberts received a 16-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, on July 17, 2020.
Nearly immediately after, he began communicating with Boy A via WhatsApp without the mother’s knowledge or consent.
This was exposed when the National Crime Agency (NCA) investigated Roberts’ online profile 'Saint,' later identified as his real persona.
Police found that Roberts initially used only one mobile phone; however, during a raid on May 7 this year, they discovered four mobile phones and two laptops.
Examination of these devices revealed that Roberts had used CCleaner software on February 12, 2021, to erase data, though digital artifacts showed he had engaged in sexually explicit online chats about abusing children.
He also discussed a boy he had kissed and cuddled, expressing having had 'nice views' of the boy naked.
Ms.
Kenny indicated there was some evidence linking this to Boy A.
WhatsApp messages from Roberts’ phone revealed that he was grooming Boy A, using affectionate language while simultaneously asking about sexual topics and suggesting a sexual prank on the boy’s mother.
Boy A was interviewed with his mother present, who reportedly gasped in shock upon hearing Roberts' sexualized comments.
The boy admitted to visiting Roberts’ flat at least three, possibly five, times.
While he felt uncomfortable at times, Boy A also described being taken to the cinema and receiving gifts such as clothing, computer equipment, money, and a bike, which made him feel very happy.
He recounted incidents where Roberts cuddled him during an Xbox game, kissed him on the lips when leaving the flat, and described a water fight where their clothes got wet, leading to them removing their wet clothing to dry.
Ms.
Kenny added that Roberts once offered to buy condoms for Boy A.
He pleaded guilty to three new counts of breaching his SOPO and violating the suspended sentence from July 2020.
Defense lawyer Jeremy Rawson acknowledged the breaches as serious and persistent but questioned whether Roberts' actions posed a risk of 'very serious harm or distress,' noting that he had no prior sexual assault convictions.
He argued that an offender manager had not proposed any alternative to custody and that Roberts showed remorse.
However, Judge Recorder Ian Harris condemned Roberts’ repeated breaches, stating that the prior suspended sentence had been based on an optimistic pre-sentence report, which Roberts had now destroyed through subsequent actions.
The judge highlighted Roberts’ blatant disregard for court orders and the danger he posed to children.
As a consequence, Roberts was sentenced to three years and four months' imprisonment, which included 12 months added to his previous suspended sentence.
The court also imposed a new 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), an updated version of the original SOPO, emphasizing the ongoing risk Roberts presents and his apparent inability or unwillingness to cease offending.
