Teague Birch, a 25-year-old man from New Road in New Broughton, Wrexham, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday, 18 December 2024, following his guilty pleas to serious child sex offences. Birch, who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, admitted to causing or enticing the sexual exploitation of a child under 13, as well as possessing a large quantity of indecent images of children.
The court heard that Birch's actions extended beyond mere fantasy. In online chats, he expressed a desire for another user to 'do things to his younger sister' and showed genuine interest in meeting to witness such acts. Judge Simon Berkson remarked during the hearing, 'this was not fantasies being carried out but a genuine request for something to happen in front of his eyes'. The child involved was real, tracked down by authorities in another country, and subsequently taken into care for protection.
On 28 June 2024, Cheshire Police executed a search at a Malpas address after receiving intelligence. Officers seized multiple devices in Birch's presence, uncovering 603 category A images, 172 category B, and 199 category C images, predominantly moving images of females aged between two and 16 years old. Prosecutors detailed horrific examples, including one category A image showing the rape of a child aged between two and four, and another depicting a 10-year-old boy being sexually assaulted by two men. Birch also possessed prohibited computer-generated images and extreme pornography, such as a video of a man being penetrated by a labrador.
During police interview, Birch denied any sexual interest in children and claimed he did not recall seeing the images, though he admitted downloading a social media app used to access them. His defence, represented by Sarah Badrawy, highlighted his autism as a mitigating factor, noting his social isolation, limited insight into his offending, and previous caution for sexual communication with a child, but no prior convictions. Badrawy stated, 'He is nervous of custody but is prepared for that and there will be an impact on him there. He is willing to engage in that work and he is deeply ashamed of his actions.' Birch had self-referred to the Lucy Faithful Foundation prior to his arrest.
Judge Berkson acknowledged Birch's learning needs and autism but emphasised that it provided no excuse for the offences. He stated, 'A child has had to be taken away from its home because of this and the perverted way you have treated that child is shocking. Also shocking are the images and videos that you had on your phone.' The exploitation charge was treated as the lead offence, resulting in a 45-month custodial sentence, with concurrent terms of two weeks to six months for the remaining counts. Birch was also placed on the sex offenders' register for life and received a sexual harm prevention order for life, unless successfully challenged. The other individual involved in the online conversations was arrested via the National Crime Agency.