SIMON WALFORD'S HORROR IN BLACKBURN: SERIAL PAEDOPHILE SENTENCED TO 16 MORE YEARS FOR CHILD ABUSE
| Red Rose Database
Blackburn Rapist
In a chilling case that has spanned over a decade, Simon Walford, a notorious sex offender from Blackburn, has been handed an additional 16-year prison sentence after his total number of child sexual abuse convictions soared to an alarming 80. This case underscores the disturbing pattern of Walford’s predatory behavior and the lengths he went to in order to lure and exploit young boys.
Walford’s criminal history is extensive and deeply troubling. In 2010, he was sentenced to an indefinite term after authorities uncovered his disturbing home setup in Blackburn, which he had transformed into a veritable house of horrors. His residence was decorated with horror film props, including a life-sized model of Freddy Krueger, and walls adorned with skulls and figures representing infamous horror characters such as Hannibal Lecter, Jason from the Friday the 13th series, and Chucky from Child’s Play. These macabre decorations appeared to serve as a sinister backdrop to his grooming activities, designed to attract vulnerable children and teenagers.
At the time of his latest sentencing, Walford was only recently released from prison, having served just nine months of his previous sentence. The authorities revealed that he had sexually abused a boy after persuading him to watch a horror film at his former home in Blackburn, Lancashire. The court described Walford as a ‘dangerous and predatory’ individual, emphasizing the threat he posed to the community. His latest incarceration was for both the abuse itself and for breaching an earlier sexual offences prevention order, which had been imposed in 2003 following a series of convictions for sex offences committed while he was living in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.
Further complicating his criminal record, Walford was brought from prison to face Bristol Crown Court after a new victim, a former child, came forward to accuse him of historic abuse spanning three years up to 2003. The court heard how Walford used Xbox computer games as a means of enticing a young boy into his bedroom in Weston-super-Mare. The victim, who is now 25 years old, recounted that Walford began touching him when he was just 11 years old. Despite initial unsuccessful attempts to have sex with the boy, Walford managed to penetrate him when the boy was 12, continuing the abuse over a period of years.
The victim described his ordeal, stating, “It went on for two to three years. Maybe four out of seven days a week. I was scared of him. He was bigger than me. I didn’t know what he would do if I tried to leave.” The abuse first came to light in 2003 when a friend of the victim confessed that he was also being abused by Walford. Although police were informed at that time, the full extent of the abuse was not revealed until a decade later, when the victim admitted to making threats to kill and to not being entirely truthful as a boy.
Reinvestigation by law enforcement occurred in 2013, leading to Walford’s conviction on multiple charges, including attempted rape, two serious sexual assaults, and an attempted sexual assault. Walford denied all allegations but was ultimately found guilty by the court. Judge Michael Roach sentenced him to an additional 16 years in prison, on top of his existing indeterminate sentence. The judge clarified that it would be the Home Office’s decision when Walford would be eligible for release, emphasizing the severity of his crimes and the lasting impact on his victims. The judge remarked, “The effect of the behaviour on the boy was profound. His life has been badly blighted by what the defendant did to him. He lives a lonely life, pretty much constantly in his room without any social interaction.”
In a related case in December 2015, Walford was found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy during a four-year period at his Weston-super-Mare residence. The victim, aged between 11 and 15 during the abuse, was lured to Walford’s house under the pretense of playing computer games between 1999 and 2003. The nine-day trial at Bristol Crown Court resulted in Walford’s conviction on four counts of serious sexual assault, including one of attempted rape. Although he faced nine charges in total, he was acquitted of some, including two charges of raping a younger boy and one of attempted rape.
Walford’s disturbing pattern of behavior was further highlighted in 2010 when he was convicted of creating a horror-themed flat in Blackburn to attract children. His decorated flat, featuring skulls and figures from horror movies, was used as a trap to lure boys into sexual activity. He was found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a minor, and breaching a sexual offences prevention order. The court sentenced him to a minimum of two-and-a-half years, but the judge made it clear that Walford would not be released until he was deemed no longer a risk to the public.
Walford’s criminal conduct has been characterized by authorities as highly dangerous and predatory. Following his latest sentencing, Neil Standage of the Crown Prosecution Service stated, “Simon Walford is a dangerous and predatory offender who blatantly breached the sexual offences prevention order against him and has shown no remorse for the offences he committed. He has now been jailed indefinitely, which means that, although a minimum term is set by the judge, he will stay in prison for as long as he remains a risk to the public.”
Walford’s criminal history is extensive and deeply troubling. In 2010, he was sentenced to an indefinite term after authorities uncovered his disturbing home setup in Blackburn, which he had transformed into a veritable house of horrors. His residence was decorated with horror film props, including a life-sized model of Freddy Krueger, and walls adorned with skulls and figures representing infamous horror characters such as Hannibal Lecter, Jason from the Friday the 13th series, and Chucky from Child’s Play. These macabre decorations appeared to serve as a sinister backdrop to his grooming activities, designed to attract vulnerable children and teenagers.
At the time of his latest sentencing, Walford was only recently released from prison, having served just nine months of his previous sentence. The authorities revealed that he had sexually abused a boy after persuading him to watch a horror film at his former home in Blackburn, Lancashire. The court described Walford as a ‘dangerous and predatory’ individual, emphasizing the threat he posed to the community. His latest incarceration was for both the abuse itself and for breaching an earlier sexual offences prevention order, which had been imposed in 2003 following a series of convictions for sex offences committed while he was living in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.
Further complicating his criminal record, Walford was brought from prison to face Bristol Crown Court after a new victim, a former child, came forward to accuse him of historic abuse spanning three years up to 2003. The court heard how Walford used Xbox computer games as a means of enticing a young boy into his bedroom in Weston-super-Mare. The victim, who is now 25 years old, recounted that Walford began touching him when he was just 11 years old. Despite initial unsuccessful attempts to have sex with the boy, Walford managed to penetrate him when the boy was 12, continuing the abuse over a period of years.
The victim described his ordeal, stating, “It went on for two to three years. Maybe four out of seven days a week. I was scared of him. He was bigger than me. I didn’t know what he would do if I tried to leave.” The abuse first came to light in 2003 when a friend of the victim confessed that he was also being abused by Walford. Although police were informed at that time, the full extent of the abuse was not revealed until a decade later, when the victim admitted to making threats to kill and to not being entirely truthful as a boy.
Reinvestigation by law enforcement occurred in 2013, leading to Walford’s conviction on multiple charges, including attempted rape, two serious sexual assaults, and an attempted sexual assault. Walford denied all allegations but was ultimately found guilty by the court. Judge Michael Roach sentenced him to an additional 16 years in prison, on top of his existing indeterminate sentence. The judge clarified that it would be the Home Office’s decision when Walford would be eligible for release, emphasizing the severity of his crimes and the lasting impact on his victims. The judge remarked, “The effect of the behaviour on the boy was profound. His life has been badly blighted by what the defendant did to him. He lives a lonely life, pretty much constantly in his room without any social interaction.”
In a related case in December 2015, Walford was found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy during a four-year period at his Weston-super-Mare residence. The victim, aged between 11 and 15 during the abuse, was lured to Walford’s house under the pretense of playing computer games between 1999 and 2003. The nine-day trial at Bristol Crown Court resulted in Walford’s conviction on four counts of serious sexual assault, including one of attempted rape. Although he faced nine charges in total, he was acquitted of some, including two charges of raping a younger boy and one of attempted rape.
Walford’s disturbing pattern of behavior was further highlighted in 2010 when he was convicted of creating a horror-themed flat in Blackburn to attract children. His decorated flat, featuring skulls and figures from horror movies, was used as a trap to lure boys into sexual activity. He was found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a minor, and breaching a sexual offences prevention order. The court sentenced him to a minimum of two-and-a-half years, but the judge made it clear that Walford would not be released until he was deemed no longer a risk to the public.
Walford’s criminal conduct has been characterized by authorities as highly dangerous and predatory. Following his latest sentencing, Neil Standage of the Crown Prosecution Service stated, “Simon Walford is a dangerous and predatory offender who blatantly breached the sexual offences prevention order against him and has shown no remorse for the offences he committed. He has now been jailed indefinitely, which means that, although a minimum term is set by the judge, he will stay in prison for as long as he remains a risk to the public.”