RICHARD LYTHALL FROM ALSAGER AND HALMEREND JAILED FOR ONLINE CHILD EXPLOITATION IN CHESHIRE

In a disturbing case that has sent shockwaves through the communities of Alsager and Halmerend, Richard Lythall, a 35-year-old teacher and church organist, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison after being found guilty of a series of serious offences involving the exploitation and abuse of minors.

The allegations against Lythall came to light in March of the previous year when police executed a search at his residence in Wesley Avenue, Alsager. During the investigation, authorities uncovered a troubling pattern of online misconduct, including the use of false identities to communicate with young boys aged 14 and 15. Lythall had posed as a 15-year-old boy and a 23-year-old woman in these chat conversations, attempting to conceal his true identity while engaging in inappropriate exchanges.

The police also seized his computer equipment, which revealed a collection of indecent images of children, further compounding the severity of his crimes. Over a span of more than three years, from January 24, 2012, to March 24, 2015, Lythall committed multiple offences, including attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity, encouraging a child to participate in sexual acts, and possessing and distributing indecent images of minors.

Chester Crown Court heard that Lythall had exchanged explicit images, some of himself and the teenage boys in their underwear, highlighting the disturbing nature of his online activities. The court was informed that he had engaged in these illicit exchanges while working as a teacher at Sir Thomas Boughey High School in Halmerend, where he had been employed for 12 years. The school community was left devastated by the revelations, with staff describing their shock and anger at the breach of trust.

Judge Nicholas Woodward, presiding over the case, addressed Lythall directly during sentencing. He remarked, “On the surface, you appear to be a decent and respected member of the community and an experienced teacher. That you have done this with your background is extremely worrying. You prepared false profiles so you could exploit children and indulge your own sexual interests in teenage boys, and you continued to do so for a number of years.”

The school issued a statement expressing their dismay, stating that Sir Thomas Boughey High School had been left “shocked and angry” by the incident. The administration emphasized that Lythall’s actions had severely damaged the trust placed in him by colleagues, students, and the wider community, and his conduct was a stark violation of professional and moral standards.