CRAIG CROWTHER FROM NORTHWICH SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES AND ONLINE PAEDOPHILIA

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Northwich, Craig Crowther, aged 31, has been sentenced to four years and four months in prison after being found guilty of multiple serious offences related to child sexual abuse and online indecency.

Crowther’s criminal activities came to light after investigations by the National Crime Agency (NCA), which identified him through his online alias ‘craggy2014’. Over a period of time, he engaged in numerous conversations with individuals he believed were other paedophiles, openly discussing his sexual interest in children and sharing explicit images.

In May 2020, undercover police officers posing as online contacts engaged with Crowther, during which he revealed that he had access to a child he had sexually abused. Prosecutor Frances Willmott told Chester Crown Court that Crowther not only admitted to these acts but also shared indecent images of the child to gain acceptance into a clandestine online paedophile group.

The court heard that on July 15, 2020, Crowther had a conversation with an undercover FBI officer, during which he shared ten images depicting children. He even encouraged the officer, whom he believed was another user, to take photographs of a child and send them to him. Crowther boasted about having taken a sexually explicit photograph of a sleeping child he had assaulted, and he admitted to recording a video of the child but deleting it immediately, acknowledging the wrongfulness of his actions.

His arrest in July 2021 uncovered a disturbing collection of 56 indecent images of children stored on his phone, categorized from A to C, including some depicting Crowther himself sexually assaulting a child. During his arrest, Crowther made several comments reflecting his despair and denial, including phrases such as “my life is over,” “nobody knows,” “I’ve been expecting you,” “I know what I’ve done and what I’ve been on,” and “I got no sexual gratification from it.”

He faced multiple charges, including three counts of assault of a child under 13 by touching, three counts of making indecent images of a child, two counts of taking indecent images, and two counts of distributing category C indecent images. Crowther pleaded guilty to all charges on February 11 at Chester Magistrates’ Court.

During the sentencing hearing, his defence lawyer, Brian Treadwell, stated that Crowther had expressed remorse and accepted full responsibility for his actions. Despite this, the court sentenced him to four years and four months in prison. Upon release, Crowther will be subject to a four-year licence period, a lifetime sexual harm prevention order, and registration on the sex offenders register for life.

Judge Patrick Thompson delivered the sentence, emphasizing the severity of Crowther’s actions and his unhealthy interest in children. The judge dismissed Crowther’s claims that he shared images online to catch other paedophiles, describing such explanations as ‘full of denial’. He concluded by stating, “It seems to me that you are not prepared to accept the reality that you are a paedophile. Children must be protected from men like you.”