Terry Blackmore, a 78-year-old man from Warrington, was jailed for sexually abusing a young child and producing indecent images. The offences came to light when the child disclosed the abuse to their parents, prompting a report to Cheshire Police.
Blackmore was charged with five counts of sexual assault of a child, two counts of taking indecent images of a child, and one count of possessing indecent images of a child. He admitted the offences at Warrington Magistrates’ Court last month, with the case committed to Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing on Monday.
Prosecutor Jamie Baxter detailed that Blackmore had touched the child inappropriately with his hand, both over and under their clothing, pulled down their pants to take indecent photos, and kissed them on the lips. When confronted by the child's parents, Blackmore reportedly said, “I knew this was coming.”
Police seized Blackmore’s electronic devices for forensic analysis, uncovering 184 indecent images of children, all taken by him. Of these, 57 were category B, with the rest category C. The images were found in deleted or unallocated sections of his phone, and some had been manipulated to superimpose adult genitalia onto the child’s images, making them 'even more sexual'.
During his police interview, Blackmore admitted to taking, storing, and viewing the images. The court heard that the abuse had caused significant emotional and psychological impact on the child. Aggravating factors included the victim’s age and vulnerability, as well as the high volume of images produced over a period of time.
In mitigation, defence counsel Jeremy Rawson noted that Blackmore had no previous convictions and expressed clear remorse through his admissions and guilty pleas. Rawson described the situation as 'a terribly sad situation' and highlighted that Blackmore had led a blameless life previously, working hard and paying taxes, but accepted the need for a custodial sentence.
Judge David Potter remarked, “I am pleased that you have resisted your denial of your sexual intent in your offending as clearly there was, particularly in manipulating and editing the photos to make them more sexual.” He emphasised that only immediate imprisonment was justified to punish the offender, rehabilitate if possible, reduce crime, and protect the public.
Blackmore, who entered court using crutches and a hearing device, and left in a wheelchair, resides on Winwick Road near Warrington town centre. The case was investigated by Cheshire Police, with DC Heidi Ryder commending the victim’s bravery in coming forward.