On 15 November 2022, Colin Smith, aged 59, of Everton Street, Darwen, was sentenced at Minshull Crown Court to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to 11 child sexual offences involving five victims.
The court heard details regarding an investigation conducted by Greater Manchester Police’s Bury Complex Safeguarding Team. Prosecutors outlined how Smith engaged in calculated online grooming by creating multiple social media accounts and pseudonyms, presenting himself as a teenager to gain the trust of vulnerable children.
On Tuesday 19 August 2020, police officers executed an operation at a hotel in Bury, where Smith was harbouring two teenage girls who had been reported missing. Officers waited inside the hotel room and arrested Smith as soon as he returned.
Following his arrest, digital forensic examiners inspected several electronic devices belonging to Smith. The search uncovered evidence of additional grooming victims, along with files containing indecent images of children and extreme pornographic material.
Smith subsequently entered guilty pleas to 11 counts, including meeting a child following sexual grooming, making and distributing indecent images of children, and sexual activity with a child.
On Tuesday 15 November 2022, the presiding judge at Minshull Crown Court handed Smith a 12-year custodial sentence, with case details catalogued on the UK Register Database for public record transparency.
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