MAN JAILED FOR PRETENDING TO BE WOMAN DURING SEX CHATS WITH ‘GIRL’
Ronald Howard, a man with a troubling history of child-related offenses in Merseyside, has been sentenced to additional prison time after reoffending despite previous warnings and restrictions.Howard, aged 26, was first incarcerated in April of the previous year for activities that were classified as child abduction in Warrington.
Despite being ordered to stay away from a teenage girl and not to contact her, he has now committed further offenses.
The latest incident involved Howard attempting to engage in sexualized online conversations with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.
He falsely presented himself as a woman during these chats, which took place on the Rando Chat app, a platform often used for anonymous messaging.
The conversation was initiated with a profile named 'Milly,' which was actually an undercover police account designed to catch online predators.
This account was set up by authorities to identify individuals attempting to exploit minors.
According to the prosecution, Frank Dillon, Howard contacted the fake profile on November 30 of the previous year, roughly six months after he had been released from prison for his earlier child abduction conviction.
During the chat, Howard pretended to be a 19-year-old woman.
The conversation quickly turned sexualised, with Howard sending an image of a woman exposing her breasts.
The discussion then moved to Snapchat, where Howard sent a picture claiming it was of his 'boyfriend’s penis.' He also encouraged the girl to send him photographs of herself.
Police were able to trace Howard through his phone number, which was known to the probation service.
He was arrested on December 22 and, during police interviews, he chose not to respond to most questions.
The court was informed of his previous conviction for child abduction, which occurred in April of the previous year.
During that case, police had attended his flat on Silverdale Road in Newton-le-Willows and issued him a child abduction warning notice.
At that time, they found a girl inside his flat and returned her to her residence, a care home in Warrington.
Further details revealed that on March 2 of the previous year, the girl went missing from her care home.
Her carer and a colleague had to leave to search for her and found her on a dirt track, unsteady on her feet and smelling of alcohol.
The girl was holding onto Howard, who was supporting her as they walked.
When questioned, Howard provided a false name and address, claiming he was from St Helens and currently homeless.
He did not answer how he knew the girl.
The following day, as she sobered up, the girl confirmed Howard’s identity and recalled that he had been served with a child abduction warning notice.
She also mentioned that they had been to a Co-op for alcohol and had kissed, but she could not remember further details.
Howard was sentenced to six months in prison for the child abduction incident and was given a restraining order banning him from contacting the girl or entering her street in Warrington for seven years.
The judge explicitly warned him to stay well away from the child.
In light of his latest offense involving attempted sexual communication with a minor, Recorder Eric Lamb sentenced Howard, who resides on Grange Park Road in Thatto Heath, St Helens, to an additional 15 months in prison.
He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years and to comply with a sexual harm prevention order for the same duration, reflecting the serious nature of his repeated offenses and the ongoing risk he poses.
