Kristian Alexander John Kirk

Kristian Alexander John Kirk, a 26-year-old former shop worker and policing student from East Lancashire, has a history of sexual offences against minors. In 2014, Kirk was ensnared in a 'sting operation' conducted by self-styled paedophile hunter Stinson Hunter, who posed online as a 14-year-old boy. During their internet conversation, which turned sexually charged, Kirk requested pictures of the supposed boy wearing white socks, revealing his specific fetish. This led to his arrest and subsequent conviction at Burnley Crown Court for a sexual offence.

As a result of the 2014 conviction, Kirk received a community order and was subjected to a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which strictly limited his contact with children and young people. Despite this, Kirk reoffended in 2015 by contacting a 15-year-old boy via social media, breaching the protective measures in place. For this offence, he was sentenced to a 26-week prison term, suspended for two years, along with ongoing notification requirements under the Sex Offenders Register. These requirements mandated that he inform police in advance if he planned to stay at any premises with a person under 18 years old.

Kirk's latest breach occurred on 18 November 2023, when police visited his address in the Pennines area of Nelson. Prosecutor Joseph Allman told the court: 'They asked if he was alone. He said his girlfriend was in bed upstairs. He gave a date of birth for her which would have made her 18. When she appeared it transpired she was 17.' Kirk admitted during a subsequent interview that he had allowed his underage girlfriend to stay overnight without notifying authorities, directly violating the terms of his suspended sentence. The breach carried a potential maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.

Appearing at Burnley Crown Court, Kirk pleaded guilty to breaching the notification requirements and the suspended sentence. Judge Beverley Lunt sentenced him to 38 weeks in custody, activating the previous suspension. Additionally, Kirk was ordered to remain on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years to continue monitoring and prevent further offences. A Lancashire Police spokesman emphasised the importance of managing sex offenders, stating: 'Sex offenders are managed by police and partners, a system which aims to prevent them from committing further offences.' Kirk, formerly of Oswaldtwistle and now residing in Nelson, demonstrated a pattern of non-compliance with court orders designed to protect vulnerable young people.