THOMAS YOUNG OF WORKINGTON JAILED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES IN CUMBRIA

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the community of Workington, Thomas Young, aged 25, was sentenced to prison after admitting to multiple child sex offences. The incidents came to light during proceedings at Carlisle Crown Court, where it was revealed that Young had engaged in inappropriate and illegal communications with four young girls, whose ages ranged from just 12 to 15 years old.

According to court reports, Young, who resided on Jackson Street in Seaton, Workington, used a social networking site to contact these minors. He adopted the nickname ‘Chewy’ during his online interactions, which included explicit conversations. One of the victims, a 12-year-old girl, was told by Young that he would like to have sex with her, a statement that underscores the disturbing nature of his communications.

Throughout the court proceedings, Young was described by his legal representative as “a somewhat inadequate individual,” a characterization that was evident as he appeared to shake his head and cover his eyes during the hearing. Judge Paul Batty QC expressed his outrage at the case, stating, “The circumstances surrounding these offences are, to right-thinking people, shocking.”

He further addressed the allegations, noting that Young had claimed to police that he possessed pictures of his genitalia on his phone but denied showing them to anyone. The judge expressed skepticism about this claim, emphasizing that there was significant doubt about the veracity of Young’s statements.

Judge Batty highlighted the aggravating factors in the case, including the premeditated nature of the offences and the considerable age gap between Young and his young victims. Young had pleaded guilty to one charge of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, along with three additional charges of attempting to cause or incite children to engage in sexual acts.

The sentencing was initially postponed to assess the full impact of Young’s crimes. Unfortunately, efforts to locate three of the victims proved unsuccessful, and one victim chose not to cooperate with police investigations.

It was also revealed that Young had since married, but his criminal actions had led to the breakdown of his marriage. His legal representative, David Wales, described Young as a person with low self-esteem who struggles to cope with personal stresses and relationships. Wales explained that Young married in August, but the offences committed prior to his marriage had caused his wife to leave him. Despite this, Young expressed hope that he might reconcile with his wife in the future.

In sentencing, Young received four concurrent 16-month prison terms. Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for the next ten years. The court also imposed restrictions on his internet usage, requiring him to only access online services with monitoring equipment installed to prevent further misconduct.

Earlier in April 2014, Young had appeared in court to face similar charges, where he admitted to attempting to incite four young girls to engage in sexual activities. The victims’ ages ranged from 12 to 15 at the time of the offences. During that hearing, Judge Batty warned Young that he faced a potential jail sentence and ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register, with the duration of his registration to be determined by his sentence.

Young was granted bail under strict conditions, including a prohibition on unsupervised contact with any children and residence at his current address in Workington until sentencing. The court did not disclose further details of the offences but noted Young’s intention to have sexual intercourse with one of the victims. His sentencing was scheduled for the end of the following month, with defence advocate David Wales representing him during the proceedings.