Southport woman convicted of child sexual assault in shocking abuse ring

SOUTHPORT WOMAN CONVICTED OF CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT IN SHOCKING ABUSE RING

A woman named Tracy Dawber, a community care worker, has been found guilty of abusing a young baby at her residence in Southport, Merseyside, in 2008.

During her trial at Winchester Crown Court, Dawber was convicted of one count of sexually assaulting a child and five counts of permitting indecent photographs of a child to be taken.

She initially refused to admit the charges, but the court learned that her accomplice, the convicted sex offender Colin Blanchard, claimed she had taken the lead in the abusive acts.

Blanchard, who was previously involved in other child abuse cases including that of Vanessa George, admitted to his involvement in the abuse and the distribution of images among a network of women who recorded and shared the abuse via their mobile phones and email.

The jury of twelve members took only two hours to reach a verdict.

Mr Justice Royce noted the seriousness of the offences and indicated that a substantial custodial sentence was inevitable, and Dawber was remanded in custody pending sentencing.

Her conviction marks her as the fifth individual linked to Blanchard’s paedophile ring to face justice, following the sentencing of other women involved in similar crimes, all of which were carried out through online communication without physical meetings.