Curtis Critchley

Curtis Critchley, a 24-year-old convicted paedophile from Rothwell, Leeds, has been sentenced to 14 months in prison after prison officers discovered a depraved manual in his cell offering advice on how to sexually abuse children.

The incident occurred on 6 August 2025 at HMP Risley in Warrington, Cheshire, where Critchley was already serving time for previous sex offences. During a routine search of his cell around 2:30pm, guards uncovered illicit materials, including pages of handwritten notes. These notes contained short stories with graphic details of sexual activities involving children, as well as instructions on grooming children via social media platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok. The materials were immediately reported to Cheshire Police, leading to Critchley's charge for possession of a paedophile manual.

• The manual included explicit 'advice or guidance about abusing children sexually', highlighting Critchley's ongoing dangerous mindset despite incarceration.
• Critchley appeared before Warrington Magistrates’ Court, and the case was transferred to Liverpool Crown Court for further proceedings.

At Liverpool Crown Court, Critchley entered a guilty plea to the possession charge. The court took into account his extensive history of convictions for sex offences. In May 2020, Sheffield Crown Court had sentenced him to three years and four months in a young offender institution for multiple offences. These included three counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, theft of children's clothing from a washing line in Doncaster, handling stolen goods, and possessing two indecent images of children. He was also ordered to sign the sex offender register for life and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

Prior to his 2020 sentence, Critchley had come to police attention after stealing children's clothing from a neighbour's washing line in Doncaster. While released under investigation, he contacted a 14-year-old girl on Snapchat, falsely claiming to be 15 years old. He lured her to a Holiday Inn hotel in Rotherham, where they engaged in sexual activity. The girl was reported missing, leading to Critchley's arrest at the hotel.

This latest offence underscores Critchley's persistent involvement in child sexual exploitation, even while imprisoned. The sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court reflects the severity of possessing materials that promote such abuse, with the judge emphasising the need to protect children from individuals like Critchley. Sources: The Star (published 27 October 2025), SWNS reporter Finn Smith, Cheshire Constabulary.