JAMES COLLINS, A TRAFFORD PAEDOPHILE, STALKED CHILDREN PRETENDING TO BE POLICE

In June 2012, a convicted paedophile named James Collins was involved in a disturbing incident where he followed three young children through the streets of Trafford after falsely claiming to be a police officer.

Collins, who previously served a five-year sentence in June 2008 for sexually assaulting young girls and was released early, breached a sexual offences prevention order just months after his release. The order had prohibited him from having contact with young girls for 20 years.

Last February, Collins approached three children at a shop in Old Trafford where they were buying ice cream with a relative. He asked them where they were headed and falsely presented himself as a police officer, using a walkie-talkie and a forklift driver’s license to support his guise. He then attempted to question the woman and children on the street, despite appearing intoxicated, leading them to walk away from him. Undeterred, Collins followed them for several minutes until a relative came to pick them up. He was arrested at the scene and later admitted to breaching the order.

At a sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court, the defence argued that a jail sentence might cause Collins to lose his flat, which helped him maintain a more 'orderly life.' Judge Martin Steiger QC commented that Collins’s behavior was 'sinister' but decided against immediate imprisonment, noting that he had already spent what amounted to around 18 months approaching children while in custody. Instead, Collins was sentenced to a 12-month community order with supervision and ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work.

Back in June 2008, Collins was jailed for five years following a series of sexual assaults on underage girls. Police believed he might have more victims, and he was ordered to register as a sex offender for 20 years.

He was living on Ravenoak Avenue, Levenshulme, and had pleaded guilty to multiple charges involving girls aged 13. The Manchester Crown Court heard that Collins had gained the trust of the girls' families and then exploited that trust for his own benefit. Investigations revealed that he had attempted to coerce a 12-year-old girl to watch sexual acts between him and another woman. Police also discovered numerous photographs of young girls at Collins’s home.

Detective Constable Andy Spillane from the Protect Team emphasized the importance of community reporting, stating, 'This man gained the trust of the girls’ families and completely abused this. Today’s result highlights the importance of reporting incidents like these and we will do all we can to ensure the people who commit these depraved crimes are brought before the courts and dealt with appropriately.' He further urged anyone with concerns to contact the team at 0161 856 6020, indicating that there may be additional victims of Collins.