'She was raped so you can look at it' Lancashire man jailed after publishing sickening video of girl, age 9

A pervert who published a sickening video of a nine-year-old girl being raped has been jailed by Preston’s top judge.

Liam Wilkinson admitted a string of child porn offences at the city’s Crown Court and was sent to prison for more than two years after it was revealed he stored thousands of indecent images and films of children on his phone and laptop.

The 33-year-old's mother looked on from the public gallery as Judge Robert Altham told him: “That rape of that child only happens because someone like you creates a market (for it).

“That child may not live in this country, but she was raped so you can look at it. So the idea that you caused no harm by possessing it (the video) is complete nonsense.”

Wilkinson, from Scarisbrick near Burscough, pleaded guilty to distributing the 26-minute video by email on two separate occasions. He also admitted possessing 6,700 indecent photographs and videos of children – many of them aged between eight and 10.

In addition he confessed to having 18 “extreme porn” images, some involving sex with animals.

Lawyer Stephen Parker, prosecuting, said Wilkinson was snared as part of a wider investigation into child pornography. Specialist officers deciphered encrypted material and found an email address which led them to his home in Narrow Moss Lane.

He was later arrested at his place of work and questioned about the rape video. He freely admitted he had been collecting material from social media and gave the police the pin number of his mobile phone.

On it they discovered 1,591 Category A indecent images of children (457 of them videos), 1,899 Category B (including 120 videos) and 3,210 Category C (175 of them videos).

In an interview he admitted he had been accessing child porn material “for years”. He told them: “I never intended to hurt anyone. I didn’t pay for anything. I have wanted in the past to manage what I am doing.”

He added he could not say how or where he had started his perverted collection because it had been going on for so long. There were times when he thought about it and times when he didn’t.

Asked by police where he had been getting the images and videos he said people had been selling links on social media platforms Instagram and Telegram. He had never sold any material and didn’t chat to others about child abuse or use chatrooms and forums.

Barrister Amy Weir, representing Wilkinson, said her client had been “incredibly frank” with police about his offending. On seeing the evidence he had immediately held his hands up.

A number of character references were submitted to the judge and his mother was in court supporting him. Ms Weir urged Judge Altham to consider a suspended sentence rather than immediate custody.

Wilkinson, she said, was aware of the “deep shame this has brought, not only to him, but to his family”.

“This behaviour is condemned by those who he is around. They are ashamed and are surprised about his behaviour. He has been ostracised. He has also lost his job. So there have been consequences.

“He will carry the shame of this offending for the rest of his life.”

Judge Altham, Preston’s Honorary Recorder, told Wilkinson he had been making indecent images of children over a prolonged period and also possessing extreme pornographic images for his own sexual gratification.

He said sellers had been advertising this material on Instagram, but there was no evidence he had paid for it and no evidence he was distributing any of it.

Judge Altham said that when police uncovered what he had been storing on his phone it was clear that there were thousands of images - over 1,000 of the most serious category.

He told him: “Don’t think that by just obtaining this material you do not harm. You do. The nine-year-old girl is being raped and she is in tears because of what is happening to her, because it hurts and is utterly distressed and humiliated.”

The court heard that Wilkinson had no previous convictions. He had shown remorse and admitted he was ashamed of what he had done.

Judge Altham sentenced him to two years and four months for distributing the video, 10 months for making Category A images, six months for Category B and six weeks for Category C. He also handed a sex-week sentence for possessing extreme porn images. All the sentences will run concurrently, making a total of two years and four months.

Wilkinson was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the next 10 years “to protect people from further sex offending by you” and was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.