PAUL ORRITT FROM KIRKBY SENT TO PRISON FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT AND GROOMING OF VULNERABLE GIRLS IN MERSEYSIDE

In October 2017, a disturbing case emerged involving Paul Orritt, a 51-year-old man from Ingoe Lane, Kirkby, who was convicted of multiple serious offenses related to the grooming and sexual assault of young girls in the Merseyside area. Orritt, who had a troubling history of predatory behavior, was found to have targeted vulnerable schoolgirls, luring them with cigarettes, alcohol, and cocaine, in an attempt to manipulate and exploit them.

His criminal activities spanned several years, beginning with a conviction in 1998 for indecent assault on a 14-year-old girl outside a social club where he was employed. For this offense, Orritt received a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was mandated to register as a sex offender. Despite this, he continued to pose a threat, and in 2008, a magistrate issued him a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SOPO) after a 13-year-old girl reported that he had given her a lift in his car and asked to “get to know each other better.” Orritt denied any wrongdoing in that case, and police chose not to pursue further action, but the court’s order restricted him from communicating with unsupervised children and approaching females in public while driving.

However, in 2017, Orritt’s pattern of offending persisted. He encountered three girls, including one who was particularly vulnerable due to family issues, in St Helens town centre. Under the alias “Jonno,” he approached the girls and offered them a lift home. Prosecutor Sarah Holt explained that Orritt then asked if they “liked to sniff,” which was interpreted as a reference to cocaine. He drove them to a supermarket car park and provided them with lines of a powder they believed to be a Class A drug. The first girl exchanged phone numbers with Orritt and continued to meet him, motivated by the promise of free drugs. She was coerced into sending him pictures of herself, which led to her introducing him to two other girls.

Orritt’s interactions with the girls involved buying cigarettes and alcohol, and providing them with what was described as “lemo,” a slang term for a type of recreational drug. The first girl consented to kissing him and allowed him to touch her breasts and genital area in his car. She later recounted that if she refused, Orritt would call her “a waste of space” and “pointless.” On another occasion, Orritt got into the back seat with the second girl and attempted to kiss and touch her. Despite her protests and feelings of fear, he forcibly placed his hand between her legs.

The criminal activities came to light when a school teacher overheard the second girl talking about Orritt. Confronted with the evidence, Orritt admitted to sexual assault and three breaches of his SOPO before his trial. His history of violence and manipulation was further highlighted by a previous conviction in 2014, when he was jailed for two years for impersonating a city gangster named James ‘Pancake’ Taylor to extort £8,000 from a farmer. Orritt had visited the victim’s home in Simonswood, threatening to set fire to his family’s cars and shoot him in a blackmail scheme.

During sentencing, Judge Denis Watson, QC, condemned Orritt’s conduct as “blatant and flagrant” breaches of his court orders, noting that he was actively seeking out young females. The judge expressed skepticism about the nature of the powder Orritt provided, suggesting it was likely cocaine to deceive the girls. He described Orritt’s grooming conduct as “planned with a degree of care,” emphasizing the calculated nature of his actions. The judge acknowledged that while the first girl consented to sexual touching, the second girl made it clear she did not want any contact.

Orritt was ultimately sentenced to 28 months in prison. During the hearing, he expressed remorse, stating, “I’ve let my family down – I don’t want my family to suffer. I don’t want it in the papers.” Despite his plea, Judge Watson underscored the importance of public awareness and the need to report such cases, reinforcing the seriousness of Orritt’s repeated violations and predatory behavior in the Merseyside community.