DAVID POWELL: BIRKENHEAD AND WALLASEY SEX OFFENDER STRIKES AGAIN IN SHOCKING INCIDENTS

In a disturbing series of events spanning several years, David Powell, a known sex offender from Birkenhead and Wallasey, has repeatedly violated legal restrictions designed to protect the public, especially children. His actions have caused significant concern within the communities of these areas, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by authorities in monitoring and managing individuals with a history of sexual offences.

Back in June 2018, Powell, aged 34, managed to deceive a father of eight children living in the Angus region by gaining entry into his home under false pretenses. This man, who had previously been unaware of Powell’s criminal background, allowed him to stay temporarily in his shed and even invited him to join family outings, including a trip to Monikie Country Park. Powell’s past convictions include multiple instances of indecency, exposure, and outraging public decency, which led to a 20-year sexual offences prevention order being imposed on him. This order explicitly prohibited him from being in the company of children under 17 without supervision and barred him from approaching within 100 metres of children’s play areas.

Despite these restrictions, Powell’s presence around children continued to be a source of concern. During his stay with the family, he spent considerable time in their company and was even invited to participate in outings with the children. The situation escalated when a family member, suspecting inappropriate behaviour, searched Powell’s name online and uncovered his sordid past. Powell’s criminal record includes multiple convictions for exposing himself, including a notorious incident where he was seen performing a sex act in front of young girls at a play park. These violations culminated in his pleading guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court to breaching the sexual offences prevention order, resulting in a two-year prison sentence handed down by Sheriff Alastair Brown.

Earlier, in September 2016, Powell’s troubling behaviour was again brought to light in Wallasey. He was caught participating in a street football match with two young boys, aged two and four, without informing their parents of his sex offender status. The incident occurred on August 6, when Powell joined the game after passing the children in the street, with his then-girlfriend present. The children’s parents, who had no prior knowledge of Powell’s background, only became suspicious three days later when the father discovered messages on Powell’s phone referring to him as “a nonce.” This prompted the father to check the UK sex offender database, confirming Powell’s status as a registered sex offender from Egerton Street in New Brighton. The police were subsequently alerted.

When questioned, Powell denied any wrongdoing, claiming the accusations were malicious. However, he ultimately pleaded guilty to breaching the Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), which had been imposed in 2007 following previous offences of indecent exposure. Powell’s breach of the order was not an isolated incident; he had also violated it in February of the same year when social workers received a tip-off about concerns involving two young girls in Liscard, where Powell had been living with their mother for about a year. At Liverpool Crown Court, Judge David Aubrey, QC, sentenced Powell to 12 months in prison, emphasizing that this was his tenth court appearance related to breaches of the SOPO or failure to meet notification requirements. The judge acknowledged that Powell had no convictions for molesting children and that his participation in the football game was not driven by malicious intent. Nonetheless, he stressed the importance of adhering to the legal restrictions meant to safeguard children, stating, “The provisions are there to protect children and you must learn that you must abide by the provisions placed within the sexual offence order. The offence is so serious only an immediate custodial sentence is justified.”

Earlier in his criminal history, in August 2007, Powell, then 23, was placed on probation for three years after admitting to outraging public decency and indecent exposure. He was also subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, which prohibited him from being within 100 metres of children’s play areas in parks. On December 11 of that year, Powell was seen performing a sex act in a stairwell at Conway Park railway station in full view of commuters. He was arrested after giving a false name, but subsequent investigations revealed his true identity and a history of similar offences in Scotland. A few months later, on February 22, Powell was again arrested after following a nine-year-old girl and her friends in Central Park, Wallasey. Officers found him performing a sexual act near a tree. His defence argued that Powell did not require psychiatric help but acknowledged the high risk of re-offending. Despite this, Powell’s repeated violations of the law and restrictions highlight the ongoing difficulties in managing sex offenders and protecting vulnerable members of the community from potential harm.