A convicted paedophile has admitted exchanging sick messages in which he encouraged a notorious child abuser to commit horrendous crimes.
Paul Pickerill, 66, of Lockgate West, Windmill Hill, Runcorn, pleaded guilty at Chester Crown Court on Thursday to three counts of making indecent images of children, one of possessing an indecent image, and one of intentionally encouraging or assisting in the commission of an offence, after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) learned Pickerill had been communicating via WhatsApp with child rapist Vicki Bevan, 37, of Napier Street, St Helens. He is due to be sentenced on September 22.
Bevan was sent down at Liverpool Crown Court in May along with Paul Rafferty, 62, and Tony Hutton, 42, for what the CPS described as the “systematic abuse” of a girl under the age of 10 over a period of two years. The court heard in May that “depraved” Bevan’s crimes included raping a young child.
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Police began to investigate Pickerill last year and seized his mobile phone at his home on April 5 2021, resulting in the discovery of thousands of indecent images of children.
The device also contained thousands of messages between Pickerill and Bevan in which they discussed the assault, injury and sexual abuse of children.
A CPS spokesperson said the exchanges were “extremely distressing” for the prosecution team to view.
Pickerill was interviewed in prison in Doncaster about the messages with Bevan, and further arrested and charged with the four indecent image offences and one of encouraging or assisting in commissioning abuse.
The ECHO reported in May last year how Pickerill was sent down after he was snared at home in Runcorn by the Net Justice paedophile hunter group in April 2021.
Pickerill had been trying to sexually groom someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, telling her she was “a young woman now and ready for sex”, while he claimed to be younger than he really was and aged 55.
Chester Crown Court heard at Pickerill's sentencing in May last year how Pickerill was in contact with the decoy for nearly three weeks, during which he made various suggestions and requests to the fake girl, and sent her pictures of his car and of him with his dog, plus indecent pictures of himself and a video clip of him performing a sex act on himself.
Judge Michael Leeming sentenced him at that time to 20 months in prison.
Discussing the Pickerill-Bevan case, Senior Crown Prosecutor Pauline Newrick, of CPS Mersey Cheshire, who also worked on the Vicki Bevan prosecution, said: “This has been a very distressing case for the whole prosecution team as there were communications between Pickerill and Bevan that no-one should have to read.
“The content of those messages clearly shows the depths to which Pickerill was prepared go to in encouraging another person to sexually abuse very young children.
“Bevan herself has been convicted and sentenced because of these messages and others coming to light.
“Without perpetrators like Pickerill who enable other paedophiles, the abuse of children would not be so extensive.
“I am pleased that he has pleaded guilty today and now awaits a timely sentence. “
Bevan’s accomplices were jailed for their heinous crimes in May 2022.
Paul Rafferty, 62, of Fry Street, St Helens was jailed for 10 years with an extended four-year license for the rape of a child under 13, assaulting a child under the age of 13 by penetration, sexual assault of a child under 13, three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, one count of making an indecent photograph and two counts of making indecent photographs.
Tony Hutton, 42, of Liverpool Street, St Helens, was jailed for four years for sexual assault of a child under 13 and two counts of taking indecent photographs.
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