A Leigh couple are jailed for more than 13 years in total after admitting sexual assaults involving children

A man and woman from Wigan borough have today (October 23) been jailed for a total of 13 and a half years after admitting sexual assaults involving children.

The charges follow the arrest of suspected paedophile by officers from our dedicated Online Child Abuse Investigations Team (OCAIT) which uncovered evidence of cross border network offending with a contact called “A.”

Detectives were able to identify “A” as 49-year-old Jay Shaw and carried out an emergency warrant on 1 July this year and arrested him.

Following a search of his house in Greater Manchester officers located a hidden phone which contained thousands of indecent images and evidence of sexual assaults against children.

There were also images of Shaw’s partner, 31-year-old Katie Vernon, sexually assaulting a young boy on the phone and she was also arrested.

Shaw, of Plank Lane, Leigh, admitted four sexual assaults against a female child and one count of sexual assault against a male child.

He also pleaded guilty to making and possessing over 5,000 indecent images of children, including just over 3,000 Category A images showing the most serious abuse, together with the distribution of indecent images of children and possession of a paedophile manual, which provides instructions on how to abuse children.

Today at Liverpool Crown Court he was jailed for nine and a half years with a further five years on extended licence.

His partner, Vernon, also of Plank Lane, Leigh, admitted one count of sexual assault on a male child.

She was sentenced to four and a half years in jail.

Both will be lifelong registered sex offenders and have received lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Orders.

Det Con Danny Molyneux from OCAIT said: “Merseyside Police remains committed to protecting children from such dangerous predators.

“It is shocking that Shaw and his partner chose to carry out such horrific acts and I know that no length of sentence can every change their despicable actions but I hope that it provides some comfort to the families of those affected.

"OCAIT will show zero tolerance to those in Merseyside who use the internet to commit, enable or view sexual abuse against children.

"We are committed to proactively targeting and arrest these individuals to put them before the courts and work with partners to safeguard victims and children.

“I would continue to urge anyone who is a victim of any form of sexual abuse to please report this to police, or through our partner agencies.

“We take all such reports extremely seriously and will support victims with sensitivity and compassion.”

This conviction comes as Merseyside Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner continues their “Call it what it is” campaign, which highlights the reality of child sexual exploitation and challenges perpetrators who groom, manipulate and abuse children. The campaign also supports parents, carers and young people to recognise the warning signs of exploitation and seek help.

If you are a child or young person suffering sexual or physical abuse, the following organisations provide help and support:

NSPCC – call 0808 800 5000 or e-mail [email protected].

Childline – call 0800 1111

Victim Care Merseyside supports any young person across Merseyside who are experiencing or at risk of sexual or criminal exploitation.

www.Victimcaremerseyside.org 0808 175 3080