JOHN PENSWICK FROM DEEPDALE AND LANCASTER FACES COURT OVER CHILD'S SOCK AND DISTURBING OFFENCES

In a case that has once again brought to light the disturbing history of John Penswick, a known sex offender from Lancaster, he appeared in court after being found in possession of a child's sock and a magazine article about a 14-year-old transgender girl. The incident took place in Lancaster, where Penswick, aged 57 and residing in St George’s Quay, was charged with breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) that had been imposed on him in February 2014.

According to court proceedings, Penswick pleaded guilty to two separate breaches of this order. The SOPO was issued following his previous incarceration for a series of harrowing harassment campaigns against a family in Preston. The order explicitly prohibited him from owning or possessing any children’s clothing or from retaining any accounts—whether factual or fictional—that involved children. Despite these restrictions, police found him in possession of a pink frilly girl’s sock and a magazine article about a 14-year-old transgender girl, which raised serious concerns about his ongoing behavior.

The judge, Recorder Murray, sentenced Penswick to a two-year community order, which includes 40 days of rehabilitation activities. While acknowledging that the breaches were minor compared to other offences, the judge emphasized the gravity of Penswick’s criminal history. He stated, “You have a most significant history which puts society on alert about your behaviour. You have to be watched continuously.”

Prosecutor David Clarke detailed the circumstances of Penswick’s arrest, revealing that police apprehended him at his home at approximately 2 a.m. on May 8. The police were investigating another matter at the time, in which Penswick was later found to have no involvement. The court also revisited Penswick’s past, recalling his 2002 conviction when he was sentenced to seven years in prison for threats to kill and harassment. During that period, Penswick subjected a family in Preston to a year of terror, secretly attaching obscene messages to their back gate in Deepdale and slipping sexually explicit material through their letterbox.

One of the messages explicitly referenced Sarah Payne, a young girl who was abducted and murdered in Sussex, indicating the severity of Penswick’s disturbing fixation. When police searched his residence, they discovered an A-Z map of Preston with schools marked out and children’s underwear, further evidence of his troubling interests.

By January 2016, Penswick had relocated to St George’s Quay in Lancaster, continuing to pose a risk to society. His previous offences, including threats and harassment, demonstrated a pattern of escalating deviance. Court records revealed that Penswick, described as a loner with no remorse, had shown no regard for the harm caused to his victims. His actions, including pinning obscene notes on the family’s gate and making threats, caused significant distress and humiliation, prompting the family to move away from the area.

During sentencing, Judge Peter Openshaw QC highlighted the unique and disturbing nature of the case. He described Penswick’s messages as “crude, depraved and vicious,” reflecting a disturbing sexual deviance. The young girl targeted in the threats was not known to Penswick, and her parents had taken measures to shield her, but experts warned that she might be affected in the future. The judge emphasized that the case had profoundly impacted the family’s lives for over a year and that the notes could have been seen by others, increasing their distress.

Further examination revealed that Penswick had a history of sexual deviance, including two previous offences of indecent exposure. The court noted an alarming escalation in his offending pattern, which is often associated with more severe sex crimes. Psychiatric assessments described Penswick as having a “horrific fascination” with young girls, and the court expressed concern that he posed a high risk of reoffending.

Judge Openshaw stated that Penswick showed no genuine remorse, describing his attitude towards his victims as “callous indifference.” He sentenced him to seven years for threats to kill and four years for harassment, to run concurrently. Due to the nature of his offences, Penswick was not placed on the sex offenders’ register, but the judge ordered that stringent license conditions be imposed upon his eventual release. Additionally, the court mandated that his sentencing remarks be submitted to the Parole Board for consideration when reviewing his case in the future.