A pyromaniac Anfield Paedophile, Alan Cashman, who was previously jailed for life for setting fire to a curry house said “I feel sick” after he was outed as a child molester.
Alan Cashman held daily lewd chats on Facebook with what he believed was a 14-year-old boy and exposed himself during a video call. But, unbeknown to him, he was being ensnared in a paedophile hunter sting.
Today, Thursday, Liverpool Crown Court was informed that the 39-year-old initially communicated with the decoy, managed by the Saving Our Children Online group, on October 10 of the previous year. Alan Cashman, whose residence is unspecified, transmitted a friend request to the alleged minor and subsequently engaged in daily conversations with him on Facebook Messenger for the following 12 days.
David Watson, for the prosecution, detailed how the offender transmitted a sequence of obscene photos and engaged in a sexual act during a video conversation, urging the victim to reciprocate. A hunter subsequently reached out to him using a different account, this time posing as an adult, and organised a meeting for sexual purposes.
However, he was accosted by group members at the meeting location on Greenheys Road in Toxteth on October 22, 2022. Upon the police’s arrival at the site and his subsequent arrest just after 7:45 PM, Cashman responded, “I feel nauseous.”
Alan Cashman had four prior convictions for four offences, including two for arson, one of which resulted in a life term in 2010 at the age of 26. The incident occurred following a fire that engulfed the Spice City Indian restaurant on Stanley Street in Liverpool city centre, along with the residential flats above, in the early hours of August 9, 2009.
Alan Cashman thereafter lingered to observe the building engulfed in flames before, hours later, attempting to present himself to the ECHO as a hero who had endeavoured to rescue four occupants ensnared by the fire and smoke. However, his deceit was quickly uncovered, and a court characterised him as a “pyromaniac” for igniting refuse at the rear entrance.
Residents reported awakening ‘gasping for air due to dense smoke’, with one individual contemplating a leap from his fourth-floor flat to evade the inferno. Others ascended to the rooftop and manoeuvred onto adjacent buildings.
Fire ravaged the inner walls and roof of the grade II-listed edifice, resulting in an estimated £1.7 million in damages. Alan Cashman, formerly residing on Alfonso Road in Anfield, received a minimum sentence of four years in this instance.
In 2004, he was incarcerated for the same act after transporting a 64-year-old man from Paco’s Bar, located on Stanley Street, to his residence in Huyton, where he resumed drinking and subsequently ignited a fire in the premises. The defendant was reincarcerated on parole due to his recent offences.
Ben Berkson, in defence, stated to the court: “He has acknowledged a sexual interest in children, a confession that is frequently challenging for offenders and represents the sole pathway to rehabilitation.” He is determined to address his sexual attraction to minors.
He is astonished and bewildered to see himself classified as a sex offender. He exhibits contrition for his actions.
He expresses profound regret and characterises it as a significant error. He is entirely oblivious to the timing of his release date.
Alan Cashman confessed to attempting to provoke a child into sexual conduct, attempting to compel a child to observe sexual behaviour, and attempting to engage in sexual conversations with a child. He appeared via video link to HMP Altcourse, receiving a 20-month prison sentence, a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, and a requirement to register as a sex offender for the same duration.
During sentencing, Recorder Jeremy Lasker stated: “It is commendable, and atypical in the experience of these courts, that you are a defendant willing to acknowledge your sexual interest in young boys.” I acknowledge a certain level of contrition on your behalf.
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