RAYMOND HENHAREN OF BIRKENHEAD SENTENCED AFTER PREDATORY BEHAVIOR IN CHESTER AND BIRKENHEAD

In September 2023, Raymond Henharen, a 47-year-old man from Gertrude Street, Birkenhead, was involved in a series of disturbing incidents that highlighted his predatory tendencies towards young boys. The events unfolded initially during a day trip to Chester, where Henharen, who is profoundly deaf, befriended a family, including a father and his young son. During this encounter, Henharen sat with them in a café, communicating through typing on his mobile phone, and even took a photograph of the trio together. Despite his deafness, Henharen managed to establish a rapport with the family, which later raised concerns among the boy’s parents.

Following this initial meeting, Henharen maintained contact with the family by exchanging messages with the father. Prosecutor Joshua Sanderson-Kirk explained that these messages, which initially appeared harmless, gradually became persistent and increasingly focused on the young boy. This pattern of communication was deeply troubling, especially considering Henharen’s criminal background.

Henharen had a notorious history of sexual offenses involving minors. In 2019, he was handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order after being convicted of voyeurism involving a six-year-old boy and possessing and creating indecent images. The order was specifically designed to prevent him from having unsupervised contact with children, yet Henharen’s actions demonstrated a blatant disregard for these restrictions.

Two weeks after the Chester trip, Henharen encountered the boy and his mother again at Pyramids Shopping Centre in Birkenhead. He offered to look after the boy for a couple of hours while the mother shopped, promising they would visit an arcade together. However, instead of following through with this plan, they visited a clothing store and browsed hats. Concerned by the messages Henharen had sent earlier, the mother contacted her husband, who advised her to warn her son to stay away from Henharen. She then instructed her son to leave Henharen’s company.

Despite these warnings, Henharen later confronted the boy in Birkenhead town centre, accusing him of being rude for leaving him earlier. He continued to bombard the boy with messages, even asking for his phone number. Following this, Henharen was warned to cease all contact with the family. Nevertheless, about a month later, he reached out again, this time texting the boy’s father to ask if he and the boy could play football together. This persistent behavior prompted the police to intervene, leading to Henharen’s arrest.

Henharen’s criminal record is extensive, comprising three previous convictions for a total of 17 offenses. His past convictions include gross indecency with a child and indecent assault in 1998, as well as making and possessing indecent images in 2018. Prosecutor Sanderson-Kirk emphasized that Henharen’s sexual interest in boys has been a recurring issue, despite the many years that have passed since his initial offenses.

During the court proceedings, Henharen, who was assisted by a British Sign Language interpreter, admitted to breaching the sexual harm prevention order. He appeared in court wearing a black North Face hooded top under a black coat. The judge sentenced him to 20 months in prison, underscoring the seriousness of his violations and the ongoing threat he poses to children.

Henharen’s earlier criminal history also includes a conviction from September 1998, when he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for indecently assaulting a 10-year-old boy. The assault took place at his flat in Wirral, where he invited several boys to play computer games, offering them cigarettes and alcohol. The victim later reported the abuse to social workers, leading to Henharen’s arrest. During police interviews, Henharen claimed that the boy had initiated the sexual activity and that it had become a regular occurrence over two months. He pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault and two of gross indecency.

Judge William George ordered Henharen to register as a sex offender for life, citing the difficulty in assessing the full psychological and emotional damage caused to the victims. His barrister, Trevor Parry Jones, highlighted Henharen’s deafness and living situation, noting that he had spent time in Walton Prison, which was a difficult experience for him. Despite his challenges, Henharen’s own admissions during police interviews played a significant role in the charges against him. The court’s decision reflects the ongoing concern about his potential to reoffend and the importance of safeguarding vulnerable children from individuals with such a troubling history.