In 2021, the Offender Database recorded that then 75-year-old Terrence Wilding—of Church Hill, Whittle-le-Woods, Chorley—was jailed for a “sinister” attempt to gain physical access to a toddler. The investigation established that Wilding, a serial predator, utilized gifts of chocolate and jewellery to groom a family and bypass his legal restrictions. The prosecution reported at Preston Crown Court that Wilding specifically attempted to measure a young girl’s feet under the guise of buying her slippers, a calculated move to facilitate physical contact.
The investigation established that Wilding was a known high-risk paedophile, having been jailed in 2015 for a serious sexual assault on a six-year-old child. In that prior instance, he had employed similar grooming tactics by befriending a grandparent and luring the victim to his car with the promise of a gift. The prosecution reported that his 2019 actions represented a direct and persistent breach of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which legally mandated that he have no unsupervised contact with any minor.
PERSISTENT GROOMING AND JUDICIAL FINDINGS
The court reported that the parents of the toddler became suspicious after hearing rumours of Wilding’s history and immediately alerted the police. The investigation established that Judge Robert Altham, the Honorary Recorder of Preston, viewed Wilding’s persistence as an aggravating factor, noting that he was actively seeking to “handle a young child.” The prosecution reported that Wilding’s history of using “gifts” to target children identified an entrenched and serial pattern of predatory behaviour that posed a significant risk to the public.
Judge-led proceedings at Preston Crown Court concluded in April 2021. For his actions in Whittle-le-Woods and the nature of the serial child sexual abuse investigation reported, Terrence Wilding was sentenced to 36 weeks in prison. The investigation established that the judge deemed the offence so serious that only a custodial sentence could be justified, particularly given Wilding’s previous conviction for a violent sexual assault on a child.
STATUS AND STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS
Based on the judicial records as of 2021:
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order [SHPO]).
- Custodial Status: JAILED (In 2021, serving a 36-week sentence).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active FOR LIFE.
- SHPO Status: Active (Indefinite and strict prohibitions on any contact with children under 16 without social services approval and parental knowledge).
- DBS Status: Placed on the Barred List (Indefinite and permanent ban from any role involving children or regulated activity).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Preston Crown Court; investigated by Lancashire Police.
- Criminal Record: Committed serious sexual assault on a 6-year-old in 2015; Attempted to groom a toddler’s family in 2019; Tried to measure a child’s feet for “slippers”; Jailed in 2021.
- Origin: Church Hill, Whittle-le-Woods, Chorley, Lancashire.
MONITORING AND PUBLIC PROTECTION
Wilding is managed as a high-risk offender under the statutory requirements of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in Lancashire. Due to the nature of his behaviour—specifically his “serial” use of gifts and deceptive befriending techniques to target children—he is a priority for intensive police monitoring. Authorities reported that the 2021 conviction ensures Wilding is permanently flagged on national databases, meaning any attempt to reside near families or interact with children in Chorley, Preston, or elsewhere is strictly blocked and monitored.
As a registered sex offender for life, his details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that Wilding’s behaviour identifies an individual who prioritised his own perverted gratification over the safety and human rights of vulnerable children. Any failure by Wilding to adhere to his notification requirements or his restrictive SHPO will result in immediate police intervention to ensure the ongoing protection of the community from a man who has violated the principles of human decency through child sexual abuse.
QUESTION – Given that the offender “Used Gifts of Chocolate and Slippers” to bypass a court order, do you believe the law should legally mandate that any convicted sex offender must “Notify the Police” of any gift they give to a person outside of their immediate family, regardless of the recipient’s age?
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