IAN HARRIS SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE IN FORMBY AND BURNLEY

In August 2017, Ian Harris, who has since been released from custody, is currently residing in Burnley, following his release from prison. Harris's criminal history includes a significant conviction related to his past offenses in Formby, where he committed heinous acts during the 1980s.

Back in August 2015, Harris, a 46-year-old man at the time, was convicted of multiple serious sexual offenses involving three young boys in Formby. The court proceedings revealed that Harris had denied the allegations, but the evidence presented during the trial at Liverpool Crown Court led to his conviction. He was found guilty of 15 counts, which included charges of indecent assault and acts of indecency.

The court established that these offenses occurred over a span of four years, from March 1984 to March 1988, a period during which Harris was between 15 and 18 years old. The victims, all boys approximately nine years old when the abuse began, endured a series of traumatic experiences at the hands of Harris. The court heard that Harris employed threats and intimidation to manipulate and control his young victims, using his physical presence and greater age to exert dominance.

Judge Alan Conrad, QC, presided over the case and described the severity of Harris's actions. He stated, “You used your physical presence, your greater sophistication and a combination of inducements and threats in order to initiate and to continue your abuse of them.” The judge emphasized that despite Harris being in his late teens at the time, he was significantly older than his victims, which compounded the gravity of his misconduct.

During the sentencing, Judge Conrad noted that Harris showed no remorse for his actions. Harris claimed that the victims had conspired against him, a defense that was dismissed by the jury. The judge also pointed out that Harris's behavior was particularly egregious given his age and the vulnerability of his young victims.

Harris's defense attorney, Neville Biddle, argued that aside from these convictions, Harris had led a law-abiding life. Biddle expressed concern about the impact of Harris’s imprisonment on his wife, suggesting that she would now have to relocate to cope with the fallout.

Ultimately, Judge Conrad sentenced Harris to four years in prison. He also ordered Harris to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life, reflecting the seriousness of his crimes and the ongoing risk he poses to the community. The judge remarked that if Harris had been older at the time of the offenses, the sentence might have been even more severe.

Following his release in August 2017, Harris has been living in Burnley, where he continues to serve the sentence imposed by the court, under the restrictions and monitoring that accompany his status as a registered sex offender.