An ex-vicar, Paul Battersby, previously apprehended with a shoebox containing children’s clothing, has returned to incarceration for the third time after observing the rape of children as young as five.
Paul Battersby, 72, previously of Liverpool, searched the internet for illicit material and downloaded over 800 indecent photos, despite being under a court order intended to restrict his online activities.
The ex-Church of England minister, who served for 31 years, amassed a reprehensible collection of 832 photographs, some depicting the sexual assault of children aged five to ten.
He had been previously convicted three times for possessing indecent photographs of children and was incarcerated in 2017 for downloading 1,730 indecent images of children and horrific animal pornography.
Paul Battersby was sentenced to four years in prison, followed by an extended three years on licence, after pleading guilty to three counts of downloading indecent photos of children, one count of possessing extreme pornography, violating a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and possessing 205 illegal or cartoon images of children.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.