Lee Norman

Lee Norman, a 47-year-old man from Warrington, was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison at Liverpool Crown Court on 5 March 2026 for multiple sexual offences involving children. He had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making an indecent image of a child, one count of possession of indecent images of children, and one count of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence under section 25 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

The investigation began when Cheshire Constabulary received intelligence indicating that a Kik account linked to Norman's address on Orford Avenue in Warrington had uploaded indecent images of children. On 15 April 2025, officers from the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team executed a warrant at the property, seizing several electronic devices. Norman was arrested at his workplace shortly afterwards and released on bail pending forensic examination of the devices.

Forensic analysis revealed 141 indecent images and videos of children, along with 15 extreme images and videos of extreme pornography on the seized devices. Despite being on bail, Norman continued his offending behaviour. Colleagues from the Northwest Regional Organised Crime Unit alerted Cheshire Constabulary that Norman was engaging with an online decoy, under the belief that he was communicating with someone who had access to a 12-year-old girl. He arranged to meet at Burtonwood Service Station in Warrington to sexually abuse the child, but was instead arrested by plain-clothed officers from the Cheshire online child abuse team.

Following his arrest, Norman was charged with the additional offences. In addition to his custodial sentence, he was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Detective Constable Rachel Owen from Cheshire Constabulary commented on the case, stating: “Norman was intent on offending and his behaviour only escalated, even when he was on police bail. He is clearly an incredibly dangerous individual who is fixated on harming children. His sentence reflects the severity of his actions and the risk he poses to the public.” The force emphasised that online child abuse material involves real victims and that those engaging with such content will face severe legal consequences.