Richard McAdam

Richard McAdam, a 60-year-old resident of Rixton Grove in Thornton, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for a series of heinous sexual offences committed against two young girls in Blackpool. The crimes, spanning from 1995 to 2001, were driven by McAdam's depraved sexual desires, as described in court proceedings at Preston Crown Court.

The investigation began in August 2017 when Lancashire Police received a complaint from one victim who alleged that McAdam had raped her in 2001 when she was just 12 years old. During the probe, police identified a second victim who reported being indecently assaulted by McAdam as a child between 1995 and 2000. McAdam denied all allegations but was ultimately convicted following a trial in December on 20 sexual offences. These included four counts of rape, four counts of sexual assault, two counts of assaulting a child by penetration, and ten counts of sexual activity with a child.

Sentencing occurred on 1 June at Preston Crown Court, where Judge [name not specified] highlighted the gravity of McAdam's actions, stating they were committed 'to satisfy his own depraved sexual desires'. The court heard how McAdam's predatory behaviour targeted vulnerable children, exploiting his position to perpetrate these abuses over several years in the Blackpool area.

This conviction is not McAdam's first brush with the law for sexual offences. In 2014, he was previously jailed for four and a half years after being caught in a worldwide investigation into child exploitation. McAdam had contacted a woman in the Philippines to inquire about prostituting her young daughter and had links to a criminal organising payments for child sex shows streamed live via webcam in the Far East. Police searches of his then-home in Blackpool uncovered indecent images of children, and he had been in communication with a man in the Bristol area regarding the potential abuse of a four-year-old girl. For those crimes, McAdam pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating child prostitution, attempting to arrange a child sex offence, and eight counts of making indecent photographs of a child.

Lancashire Police's investigation underscores their commitment to protecting children from sexual exploitation. Sources from the force confirmed that the evidence presented was overwhelming, leading to McAdam's conviction. The case serves as a stark reminder of the long-term impacts of such offences on victims, who bravely came forward to ensure justice was served.