Ellesmere Port man jailed for horrific child abuse and possession of child pornography

This man was meant to look after children, but instead he abused them. Steven Reginald Huxley, from Ellesmere Port, committed abuse against two children between 2005-2008 and 2006-2011. The now 72-year-old was in a trusted position but repeatedly sexually assaulted the victims over several years, instead of caring for them. When reported, a police warrant was executed at his address, and devices were seized, revealing over 130,000 illicit images. Among these images, 30 were Category A, 27 Category B, 1,239 Category C, 257 extreme pornography, and 250 prohibited images. Additionally, 56 images were "first generation images" that Huxley took himself of his child victims. Huxley appeared in Liverpool Crown Court on January 22 for sentencing, having previously been convicted of 17 counts of sexual offenses, including raping a girl under 13 and assault by penetration, after a trial concluded on October 9 last year. He also pleaded guilty to multiple counts of making, taking, and possessing indecent images of children, along with possessing prohibited images and extreme pornography. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life. Detective Constable Yvonne Graham stated, “What Huxley did was every parent’s worst nightmare. He was trusted to look after the victims, but instead of caring for them he preyed on their vulnerability. He sexually abused them on many occasions, causing untold harm and distress.” Graham added, “It is a testament to the strength, bravery and determination of the victims in this case that we have been able bring Huxley to justice, despite it being 20 years since some of the offences occurred. I hope that the conclusion of this case will provide them with some closure and help them with their recovery. Sexual assault of children causes terrible distress, and I urge anyone who has been a victim to come forward, regardless of when it happened, as all allegations are taken seriously and will be thoroughly investigated.”