Gary Campbell

Gary Campbell, then aged 60, was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment at Liverpool Crown Court in February 2024 after pleading guilty to a series of serious child sex offences. He admitted six counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, eight counts of sexually assaulting a child, four counts of paying for the sexual services of a child, two counts of causing a child to watch sexual activity, and single counts of taking and possessing indecent images of children.

The court heard that Campbell targeted four young boys, the youngest aged six, in the Padgate area of Warrington. He loitered near a subway where the children played, withdrew large sums of cash, and used the money to groom and entice them. In what the judge described as "deliberate, pre-planned, and predatory behaviour," Campbell made the boys perform acts including kicking him in the testicles, biting him, punching him, urinating in a bottle, and exposing themselves, all for his sexual gratification. He also performed sexual acts on the children.

Campbell was identified after one victim's mother became concerned about the cash her son brought home and contacted the police. Cheshire Police traced his movements using CCTV and ANPR cameras, which showed him driving from Devon to Warrington to commit the offences. In sentencing, Judge Katherine Pierpoint described the case as "a prime example of grooming behaviour" and noted the "widespread, devastating effect" on the victims and their families.

Campbell later appealed against the length of his sentence, arguing that insufficient weight had been given to his personal mitigation, including his role as carer for his bed-bound wife and his own health issues. The Court of Appeal, sitting at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, refused his application, stating that the original sentence was appropriate and that many judges would have imposed a longer term. He was also ordered to sign the sex offender register for life and received an extended licence period of five years.