These are the latest Liverpool ECHO headlines this morning.
Paedophile took Lego Star Wars sets and toilet brush to sordid Costa Coffee meetup
A depraved paedophile took Lego Star Wars sets and a toilet brush to a sordid meetup at a Costa Coffee.
Mark Edwards brought the gifts and a sex toy, among other troubling items, to the branch - where he had hoped to meet with the parents of a seven-year-old boy, whom he planned to rape. The convicted sex offender used the pseudonym Daddy4Young on an online fetish forum as he sought out young victims to abuse.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, the 50-year-old was ensnared in a sting set up by Merseyside Police. Stella Hayden, prosecuting, described how an undercover officer created a profile on a sex fetish and sadomasochism website and posted in a group on the chatroom saying he was "curious about kinks".
READ MORE: Thomas Cashman pleads not guilty to murdering Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Edwards, going under the username "Daddy4Young", contacted the decoy saying he was "interested in talking to a fellow paedophile" and was particularly interested in children aged between seven and 13. The operative claimed he had a seven-year-old son, after which the defendant said he was willing to travel to Wavertree from his home in the West Midlands to meet with the boy.
He went on to discuss having sex with the fictional child, saying he would bring him Lego and wanted to have "nake time" with the youngster. Edwards arranged to travel to Merseyside on August 19, arriving at the rendezvous point at Costa Coffee on Edge Lane shortly after 2pm. Read the full story here.
Man in agony pulls 11 teeth out himself as he can't get NHS dentist
A man extracted his own teeth after not being able to get an NHS dentist.
George Glinos, from Childwall, has been carrying out his own dental procedures on teeth which have become loose for around four years after saying he has been unable to get treatment on the NHS. In total the 67-year-old said he has pulled out 11 of his own teeth, which he keeps in a jar.
George claims he rings on the first day of every month to try and get an NHS dentist, however said "nobody is interested" in taking on new patients. The NHS advises against self-treatment, asking people in need of help to call the NHS 111 number or a local dentistry practice.
READ MORE: NHS nurse sacked for stealing two tablets from Merseyside hospital
George said he has had emergency appointments but they are unable to provide the level of dental care he needs. The 67-year-old said he cannot afford private dental care.
Speaking to the ECHO, George said: "I haven't had a National Health dentist for probably four, maybe five years, not for the want of trying. Every time I try, nobody is interested in taking new people on.
"I ring up the first day of every month, usually on all the National Health dentist lists and nobody is interested. Nobody takes your name down or anything." Read more here.
Police officer bent innocent man's arm up his back until it snapped
A Merseyside police officer "violently and excessively" bent an innocent man's arm up his back until it snapped with a "loud pop".
Officers had been called to the Walton home of John Kennedy for a welfare check due to fears over his mental health, but he was left in excruciating pain as his interaction with the police went disastrously wrong.
After the officer broke his arm, Merseyside Police then prosecuted Mr Kennedy for assaulting the police officer's colleague by "shoulder barging" him - a charge he was found not guilty of after a trial at Sefton Magistrates' Court. At the end of that trial, a district judge noted that neither officer had activated their body worn cameras and that their explanation for not doing so was "not credible".
READ MORE: Thomas Cashman pleads not guilty to murdering Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Mr Kennedy, who had no criminal record, required surgery after the incident back on June 6, 2017, and has had an agonising and slow route to recovery. Merseyside Police continues to deny the two officers, PC Richard Hughes and PC Gavin Price, did anything wrong and has not taken disciplinary action against them.
However after clearing his name in the criminal courts, this year Mr Kennedy was vindicated once again in the civil courts when he won a contested lawsuit against Merseyside Police, involving a full jury trial. After the case was decided in Mr Kennedy's favour at Liverpool County Court, Merseyside Police agreed to pay £50,000 in damages for false imprisonment, assault and malicious prosecution as well as potentially tens of thousands more in legal fees.
Read the full story here.
