PHILIP MOTTERSHEAD FROM LIVERPOOL ESCAPES JAIL AFTER GROOMING SCHOOLGIRL ON FACEBOOK

In a case that has drawn significant attention, Philip Mottershead, a 33-year-old man from Liverpool, narrowly avoided imprisonment after engaging in a disturbing online grooming campaign targeting a 14-year-old schoolgirl. The incident unfolded when Mottershead discovered the girl’s profile on Facebook last year, initiating a series of inappropriate and predatory messages that would later be deemed serious enough to warrant legal action.

From his residence in Beetham Tower, located on Old Hall Street in the heart of Liverpool city centre, Mottershead began to send the girl a barrage of flirtatious comments and requests for photographs. Prosecutor Derek Jones detailed that Mottershead repeatedly told her she was “gorgeous” and asked her to accept his friend request on Facebook. His messages grew increasingly explicit, with him suggesting, “I think you should come and get naughty with me. Come get in my bed XXX.”

Further messages revealed his inappropriate intentions, as he said: “You are nine and a half out of ten. Ten out of ten if you meet me. Twenty out of ten if you had a threesome. Would you?” These comments were particularly alarming given the girl’s age and the obvious inappropriateness of his language. The girl, who is from Wirral but cannot be named for legal reasons, expressed her discomfort, noting that it was “weird” that he was asking such questions because he was old enough to be her father.

Mottershead’s predatory behavior continued as he urged her to share her measurements, promising that “underwear and a bottle of champagne” would be waiting for her if she did so. The girl informed a cousin about the messages, who then encouraged her to report the matter to the police. Acting on this information, authorities arrested Mottershead, who subsequently pleaded guilty to the charge of grooming a child.

According to Derek Jones, the girl was suffering emotionally from the incident, experiencing nightmares, taking sleeping pills, and fearing that Mottershead might appear at her school. The case highlighted the serious psychological impact such online predation can have on young victims.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Robert Warnock expressed relief that no physical meeting had taken place. He stated, “Having heard the content of your pathetic imprecations towards the child I’m relieved no actual meeting took place. Had you been convicted by a jury I would have had no compunction whatsoever in sentencing you to prison for 18 months to two years.”

However, the judge emphasized that simply imprisoning Mottershead would not serve the best interests of public protection. Instead, he ordered him to participate in a sex offender’s rehabilitation program for three years, imposed a seven-year sexual offences prevention order that bans him from accessing social networking sites, and prohibited him from working with children. Judge Warnock warned that any breach of these conditions would result in his return to court and potential custody, underscoring the seriousness with which the court viewed his actions and the importance of safeguarding the community from future harm.