Paedophile’s diary used in court evidence
Chris Donegan • Published 11 Feb 2011 09:00
Devious child molester Robert Liddle has been sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, suspended for three years, for breaching a SOPO (Sexual Offences Prevention Order).
The Order is designed to “protect the public from serious harm” from the convicted paedophile.
Liddle, from Moorlough Road, Lisnaskea, appeared at Fermanagh Court and admitted breaching the Order on two occasions.
The 62-year-old has convictions for sexually abusing children as young as six and in the year 2000 was described as a “high risk” and a “danger to young girls” when he was jailed for two years for indecently assaulting an 11-year-old. At the time he was working as a gardener and offered the girl a ride on his ride-on mower. He asked her if she had tickles and used it as an excuse to put his hand under her T-shirt and touch her breasts.
At the time he was already a convicted child molester with previous court appearances in 1983 and 1990. On one occasion while working as a gardener he asked a 12-year-old girl if she wanted to help and, while her father was away, touched her clothing and underwear. On another occasion a seven-year-old was in a boat with other children at a holiday centre when Liddle approached her and touched her privates.
In 1999 he was put on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years, giving the police a means of monitoring his movements, but that period ended in November 2009 and the PSNI was anxious to have some other method of keeping an eye on him and applied for a SOPO.
They had already become concerned about his behaviour after a police officer assigned as his risk manager visited Liddle’s home and found a number of items including pornographic DVDs, children’s underwear and cuddly toys.
In light of the findings the police went to court and obtained a SOPO.
A prosecutor explained that the SOPO was granted on March 4, last year, and remains in force until March 5, 2015.
It bans Liddle from having children’s clothing or toys and from loitering near schools, youth clubs and other places where children congregate. It also bans him from leaving Northern Ireland without informing his risk manager.
The prosecutor said the conditions of the Order were explained to Liddle and he was told that even if the went down to the Border for diesel for his vehicle he had to inform his risk manager.
The court heard that Liddle was required to keep a diary and when the risk manager inspected it last November he noticed two entries indicating that Liddle had travelled to Dublin on October 20, and to Tipperary the October 21.
Liddle was arrested for breaching the Order. He told his risk manager: “I forgot to ring you. I just went for the run and back up again.”
The prosecutor said no complaint was made about Liddle.
District Judge Liam McNally asked if any check was carried out with the man with whom Liddle travelled to Dublin and Tipperary.
The prosecutor said police had spoken to the man, who confirmed Liddle had travelled with him on both occasions. The man said he was not aware of the SOPO.
Defence barrister, Miss Heather Philips, said these were “spontaneous, unplanned trips”. Liddle was simply sitting in the house when the man called and asked him if he wanted to go for the run.
She said that on the trip to Dublin they only stopped to get fish and chips on the way back and the trip to Tipperary was to delivery a part for a vehicle.
Miss Philips said although there is a SOPO in force Liddle has not committed an offence since the year 2000.
The District Judge said it was a very serious offence to breach any court order but particularly a SOPO. He pointed out that Liddle had convictions in 1983, 1990 and 2000 that qualified him for the Order.
He told Liddle the Order was made “to try and put some external controls on your movement and what you were doing so that the risk posed by you could be managed and to protect the public from any further harm from you”.
He accepted that the offences came to light because Liddle was “religiously” keeping a diary and at least that brought the breaches of the Order to the attention of his risk manager.
The District Judge also said he was satisfied that Liddle had not made the trips to Dublin and Tipperary for any “serious purposes” and the public was not at risk of harm.
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 10 Feb 11
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