In 2021, then 69-year-old Aaron Blake, of Crofts Close, Kirkham, was jailed for over five years after carrying out a predatory series of assaults on the life-safety of three boys. The investigation established that Blake, a recidivist predator with convictions dating back to 1996, planned to infiltrate local schools by posing as Father Christmas. The prosecution reported at Preston Crown Court, that Blake’s latest arrest uncovered a history of abuse against victims aged between seven and 12, identifying a total abandonment of human decency by the then 69-year-old.
The investigation established that Blake’s series of behaviour in the Chorley area involved one count of indecency and three counts of indecent assault. The prosecution reported that Blake was only stopped after a member of the public, aware of his sexual offence history, alerted authorities to his desire to work as Santa Claus in educational settings. This identifies a calculated series of assaults on the life-safety of children, as Blake sought to use a festive disguise to gain proximity to vulnerable minors despite previous jail terms for child assault and illicit photography.
RECIDIVISM AND JUDICIAL SENTENCING
The court reported that Blake initially denied the charges but changed his plea to guilty on the second day of his trial. The investigation established that Blake had been previously jailed in 1996 for assaulting a 12-year-old boy and was convicted again in 2011 for making indecent images. The prosecution reported in 2021, that the judiciary imposed a sentence of five years and two months, identifying a priority assault by the court to mandate an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to restrict his future movements.
Judge-led proceedings at Preston Crown Court concluded on September 27, 2021, with Blake being returned to custody. For his actions in Chorley, Kirkham, and across Lancashire, and the nature of the series of child abuse, predatory infiltration plots, and repeat sexual violation investigations reported, Aaron Blake was documented as a maximum-risk predator. The investigation established that his forensic profile as a serial child abuser is now a matter of permanent record, spanning over 25 years of criminal activity.
STATUS AND CASE DETAILS (1996–2021)
Based on judicial and Lancashire Constabulary records as of 2021:
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Indecent assault x3; Indecency x1; Child abuse context; Previously convicted in 1996 and 2011).
- Custodial Status: JAILED (In 2021, sentenced to 5 years and 2 months in prison).
- Offence Nature: Systematically abused three boys aged between seven and 12; plotted to gain access to schools by portraying Father Christmas; utilized a “Santa” disguise to circumvent safeguarding; demonstrated a high rate of recidivism over three decades; targetted victims in the Chorley area.
- Timeline of Case: First jailed 1996; Convicted of indecent images 2011; Father Christmas plot reported November 2018; Arrested 2018; Sentenced September 2021.
- Location: Kirkham, Chorley, Lancashire.
- Forensic Profile: Then 69-year-old male; forensic history documents a “calculated, persistent, and manipulative” predatory intent; identified as an offender who sought to exploit festive traditions for predatory gain.
- Safeguarding Breach: Attempted to bypass professional background checks to reach children in local schools.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active FOR LIFE.
- Judicial Oversight: Presided over by the judge at Preston Crown Court.
- Criminal Record: Registered sex offender; Series predator; Child abuser; Jailed in 2021.
- Origin: Kirkham.
MONITORING AND PUBLIC PROTECTION
In 2021, Blake was managed as a maximum-risk predator under the statutory requirements of the Lancashire MAPPA and safeguarding units. Due to the nature of the behaviour—specifically the series of persistence in seeking proximity to children through professional-looking disguises despite decades of monitoring—he was a priority for an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Authorities reported that the 2021 sentencing identifies Blake as an individual who prioritised his own perverted gratification and “Santa” infiltration tactics over the principles of human decency and the life-safety of children.
As a registered sex offender for life, his details are permanently logged on the national police database to ensure his future conduct is strictly scrutinised. Authorities stated that the behaviour of Blake identifies a commitment to clandestine child abuse and the systematic subversion of school safety protocols. His removal to prison in 2021 results in the necessary protection of the community in Lancashire from a man who used a “Father Christmas” mask to hide a predatory and persistent series of assaults on the innocent.
QUESTION – Given that the offender “had a history of child assault dating back to 1996 and attempted to pose as Father Christmas in local schools to target more children,” do you believe the law should legally mandate that “All Individuals Convicted of Repeat Child Abuse who Plot to Infiltrate Educational Settings” must be “Sentenced to Mandatory Whole-Life Incarceration Without Parole” to prevent a series of assaults?
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