Thomas Halfpenny

Thomas Halfpenny, a 39-year-old resident of Barrow, had a prior conviction for child sex offences. In May 2017, he was sentenced to 14 months' imprisonment at Preston Crown Court after grooming a 12-year-old schoolboy he encountered on the dating app Grindr. Halfpenny misrepresented himself as being in Year 7 to gain the boy's trust, arranged to meet him at a local park entrance, and lured him back to his home on York Street. The boy became uncomfortable in Halfpenny's bedroom and left. The incident came to light when the victim's mother checked her son's mobile phone and discovered the communications, prompting her to contact the police immediately.

As part of his 2017 sentence, Halfpenny was subjected to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and sex offender notification requirements. However, on 15 June 2023, officers supervising the order visited his home address on York Street, Barrow, and seized two laptops and a mobile phone. Forensic examination of the devices revealed 29 Category A indecent images of children, including a Category A video, 22 Category B images, and 29 Category C images. These offences occurred between 22 March 2022 and 31 December 2022.

The court heard that Halfpenny had breached his SHPO by deleting internet history and Instagram messages between 31 January 2022 and 9 May 2022. In July 2023, he was sentenced to a community order for this breach and violations of his notification requirements. Subsequently, Halfpenny pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent images of children and a further breach of the SHPO.

During mitigation at Preston Crown Court, barrister Kimberly Obrusik argued for leniency, stating: 'The delay is significant in this case. The defendant is in a different situation from when these offences were committed. He has offending which post dates this. He has completed the community order. He has been rehabilitated and there has been no further offending. I do not seek to minimise his offending but 74 indecent images is not a vast number in terms of the quantity than can come before this court.' She highlighted Halfpenny's progress, noting he was working, addressing mental health issues, and posed no high risk of harm according to the pre-sentence report.

Recorder Geoffrey Lowe imposed a two-year community order, requiring 210 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity days. A new SHPO and notification requirements were ordered for five years. The judge remarked: 'Young children in their tender years displayed in these images suffer discomfort and pain through sexual assault. People like you create a market for others looking at these photographs. That is why the offences are so serious.' The case was reported by Alec Whitaker for the North West Evening Mail, based on proceedings at Preston Crown Court.