Lancashire records '525% increase' in cyber related sex crimes involving children

The NSPCC says Lancashire saw a rise of 525% in cyber crimes of a sexual nature in 12 months - an increase far more than neighbouring counties, and far above the national average of 16%.

The charity obtained police figures which showed the number of sexual offences against under 18-year-olds that had a "cyber-flag" attached to them.

The charity says this highlights the urgent need for the Government to push forward with the Online Harms Bill, which would place a legal Duty of Care on tech firms to protect children, enforced by an independent regulator.

The NSPCC is calling on the Government to publish its final plans before the end of the year, and get an Online Harms Bill on the statute book by the end of 2021.

Lancashire Police recorded 419 incidents between 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020, compared to 66 the previous 12 months, and 67 the year before that.

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: " It is our priority to manage risk and protect our communities from sexual offenders.

“The figures provided by the NSPCC require a degree of scrutiny and research to understand what contributes to the significant increase.

“However what is clear is that with advancement in technology and the development of tactical options in law enforcement along with a commitment to increasing our resources in this are within the region, we are detecting more online child sexual abuse and consequently identifying and bringing more offenders to justice than ever before, along with being able to identify and keep safe children who are being sexually abused in a cyber or online setting.”

The NSPCC said there was "wide variation across the country in the numbers of offences that were cyber-flagged" and that the increase may be due to an increase in offending or an improvement to police recording practices.

Five years ago it became mandatory to record whether a crime involved the internet and such crimes have appeared to rise since then - though never as much as 525%.

In the last two years, paedophile hunting groups have become an ever greater feature in child grooming investigations.

Many cases reaching Lancashire's courts recently have involved online snaring offenders by posing as children online and it is unclear whether the increase in this activity is linked to the increase in the figures - and subsequently whether each incident involves a 'real child'.

In April, Preston born rapist Jon Womack, 40, was sent back to jail for four years, with an extended two years on licence to reflect his danger to the public, after admitting attempting to meet a child following grooming.

Womack, of Greenfield Way, Allerton, Liverpool, had only recently been freed from a six year jail term imposed in August 2016 for raping a vulnerable woman in her 30s in Berkshire.

He groomed whom he believed to be a child online, telling her to "bring protection" so that she "didn't get pregnant" - but the victim was a volunteer from anti paedophile group Justice4kids.

But many other prosecutions involve 'real' victims.

The police figures are likely to include the case of Adrian John Gorrell, 52, of Church Terrace, Blackburn Road, Higher Walton, Preston, who used the social media site Snapchat to send a picture of his private parts to a 15-year-old girl.

Gorrell was already subject to sexual offender notification requirements due to being cautioned by police 11 months earlier for inciting a 13-year-old to engage in a sexual act, after befriending her on Facebook.

On April 27 last year, during an offender manager visit, Gorrell offered his mobile telephone and laptop for examination.

His internet search history revealed he entered search terms on legal porn sites about school girls, teenagers and incest.

On May 14, a 15-year-old girl was travelling to school when she received an unsolicited message from Gorrell on her Snapchat account asking for her age and he began bombarding her with sexually explicit questions, comments about his private parts and a lewd picture.

The youngster told him to leave her alone, eventually blocked him and reported his activity to the police.

In October 2019 Gorrell sent the same girl a Facebook friend request.

Then, on February 27 this year a 22-year-old woman was contacted on Facebook Messenger by Gorrell asking how old she was.

She lied and said she was 14, to which Gorrell responded with sexually explicit messages to her and suggested meeting the following day at a McDonalds.

He received a six month sentence for 18 months, a rehabilitation order, programme requirement, and sexual harm prevention order.

Former PNE footballer David Lean, from Lytham, was one of many children groomed by disgraced football coach Barry Bennell.

Although the internet wasn't a factor of the offending against himself, the campaigner is concerned about the scale of web based offending as he says it has made it easier to access victims as the offender doesn't have to 'groom parents first'.

Bennell had won over his parents before the abuse took place.

He adds: " Reporting can only ever be seen as a good thing as hopefully it’s current and, as such, convictions should be easier to secure.

"However the scale is growing which is a massive concern and unfortunately many parents find it difficult to speak to or monitor their children's social media or gaming accounts. "

"Offenders can easily find an interest of the child's, for example a particular game, to strike up conversations.

"A child could now be being groomed while sitting in the same room as the parents. A fake profile can easily be set up and hook a child with a fake profile photo. It's a very scary time. Parents and schools need to talk to children on a regular basis."

Clive Grunshaw, Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner said: "Tackling child sexual exploitation in all its forms remains a key priority for us in Lancashire. Over the last few years we have been committed to raising awareness of what has over the years have often been talked about as 'hidden crimes' and bringing these into the open to help bring criminals to justice and protect people from abuse. There has been a real ongoing effort into helping people feel confident that they can report, will be listened to and then be able to access the dedicated support that is available.

“Young people who have experienced abuse online, witnessed or experienced abuse in their own home or have been victim of any other type of crime can access specialist support from Nest Lancashire. From speaking to people who have used the service, I know first-hand the positive impact it can have on a young person’s life and their family and I would encourage anyone who needs support to get in touch.

“Everyone in Lancashire has a role to play in tackling this issue, with the force working closely with other partner agencies. Only by ensuring communities know the signs of exploitation, can we ensure more children are protected from harm.”