A MAN has been jailed for sexually assaulting a child and sharing images of the abuse online.

Andrew Haddock, 29, of North Road in St Helens, pleaded guilty to making and taking indecent images of a child and distributing those images to others online, was sentenced today, (Thursday, March 28) at Liverpool Crown Court.

Haddock was given 13-and-a-half-year sentence and told he must serve a minimum of nine years of his overall sentence.

He was also given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order, made to sign the Sexual Offender Register for life and given an indefinite restraining order.

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Paedophile who 'boasted about abuse' jailed

Following an investigation, Haddock was arrested in July 2023 after he boasted about his abuse online to an undercover police officer and shared images of the offences.

He was also found to be in possession of a quantity of prohibited images of children and extreme pornographic images.

Detective Constable Julia Jennings said: “A long and complex investigation has resulted in a sexual predator behind bars for a considerable amount of time.

“Haddock’s utterly deprived actions has no place in our society, and he deserves to serve a lengthy prison sentence.

“When first arrested Haddock lied to the police about the images that he had sent to the undercover officer, claiming not to know the identity of the child in them.

"Unfortunately, at this time we do not know what the true and lasting impact that Haddock’s vile actions will have on his young victim. We were able to examine and scrutinise the content of the material on his devices and were able to positively identify the child in the images.

“We have specialist officers within our Online Child Abuse Investigations Team who are dedicated to investigating these crimes, bringing those responsible before the courts and ultimately protecting young people from unimaginable suffering. 

“I hope today’s sentencing encourages anyone that has been the victim of sexual abuse that help is available, and we will do our utmost to bring perpetrators to justice and put them before the courts.

“If you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know of a child being abused, please come forward and report this to police – this includes being abused online.

“We take all such reports extremely seriously and if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us we have specially trained officers who will listen to you and treat you with compassion and sensitivity, and provide full support throughout the investigation & court process.”

Further support:

If you are a child or young person suffering sexual or physical abuse, the following organisations can also provide help and support:
NSPCC – call 0808 800 5000 or e-mail help@nspcc.org.uk.
Childline – call 0800 1111

If you’ve been affected by sexual violence of any kind don’t be afraid to tell someone, find the courage to come forward and get the help you deserve.

You can report rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences anonymously here: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences/how-to-report-rape-sexual-assault-other-sexual-offences/

There is a lot of support available from specialist officers within Merseyside Police and through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service delivered jointly by two registered charities.

In Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, support is provided by Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.