CONOR HIBBERT

OSWALDTWISTLE MAN CAUGHT WITH OVER 700 CHILD IMAGES, ATTEMPTED TO GROOM 14-YEAR-OLD

A man identified as Conor Hibbert, aged 26, was found to be in possession of over 700 sexual images of children, including 214 of the most serious category A images.

He was arrested on July 12, 2022, and pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images and one count of attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child.

The images included children of very young ages, clearly depicting real child abuse and suffering, reflecting a disturbing appetite for such content among offenders like him.

Hibbert, who at the time resided in Lytham St Annes, sought to engage in sexual conversations with someone he believed was a 14-year-old, despite knowing their age and the explicit nature of his intentions.

Judge Richard Archer sentenced Hibbert to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered him to complete an accredited programme to address sexual offending along with 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

The judge emphasized the seriousness of possessing such images and the harm they represent, noting that Hibbert had acknowledged the need to rehabilitate himself during the two years following his offences.