WIDNES PAEDOPHILE WAYNE PICKEN CAUGHT IN UNDERCOVER POLICE OPERATION
In August 2020, a disturbing case involving a known sex offender from Widnes came to light, revealing the extent of his predatory behavior online.Wayne Picken, aged 60 and residing on Albert Road in Widnes, was identified as a dangerous individual after he pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and possessing indecent images of minors.
Prosecutor Sarah Holt outlined the details of the case during a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court, emphasizing the heinous nature of Picken’s online interactions.
She explained that Picken made contact with what appeared to be two young girls through social media platforms, specifically Kik Messenger and WhatsApp, in January and February of the previous year.
Despite the girls explicitly stating their ages—one being 12 and the other 13—Picken, under the pseudonym “Duane Pipe,” continued to engage with them in explicit conversations.
During these exchanges, Picken revealed his age as 59 and made disturbing comments about his sexual arousal.
He told one of the girls, who was pretending to be “Maddie,” that he was “horny” and was “playing with himself,” while also asking personal questions about her sexual experience.
Holt recounted that Picken asked Maddie, “Have you ever seen an old man’s c**k lol?” and even requested her to send him pictures of herself.
Maddie responded with a partial image of her clothing, but Picken went further by sending her a photograph of his penis.
The contact with Maddie lasted for five days, during which approximately 100 messages were exchanged.
Meanwhile, with “Maisie,” a 13-year-old girl from London, Picken’s messages were even more numerous—over 200 in just over a week.
He repeatedly made lewd comments, asked if she f***ed older men, and suggested they could meet at “his place.” He also dared her to perform sexual acts and proposed the idea of having intercourse, clearly indicating his intent to exploit the minors.
Unbeknownst to Picken, both “Maddie” and “Maisie” were undercover officers.
“Maddie” was part of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, actively working to catch paedophiles as part of Operation Reveal.
“Maisie,” on the other hand, was an officer from a different force, unaware of the operation’s specifics.
The police’s efforts culminated in Picken’s arrest at his home on February 7, 2019.
During the raid, officers seized his mobile phone, which he had attempted to conceal inside a cardboard display box containing a decorative mug.
Analysis of the device uncovered 182 indecent images of children, aged approximately 10 to 14 years old.
These images were classified as Category C, involving nudity and sexualized posing.
Picken’s history of offending was already extensive; he was previously convicted in March 2015 for possessing 80 child abuse images across Categories A to C, and again in November 2015 for an additional 21 images, including two videos.
Some images appeared to be taken from chat rooms, although they were not classified as indecent.
During police interviews, Picken maintained a stance of denial, claiming ignorance of the images on his phone and responding with “no comment” to further questions.
Despite his denials, he was already on the sex offenders register due to prior convictions.
His previous offenses included possessing a significant number of child abuse images, which demonstrated a pattern of offending behavior spanning several years.
Further investigations revealed that Picken had sent a message to a child, stating, “fancy a f*** sometime?”—a clear indication of his sexual interest in minors.
A Sexual Harm Prevention Order was imposed, requiring him to allow authorities to check his internet devices regularly.
However, on February 6 of the current year, Picken falsely claimed to his offender management worker, Helen Wrigley, that he had lost his phone two weeks earlier.
When Ms Wrigley contacted his ex-partner, she was told that Picken had been texting her up until that date using the same number.
Matters escalated when Ms Wrigley and a male colleague conducted an unannounced visit to Picken’s home.
Initially denying possession of the phone, Picken then stormed out of the room, grabbing the device on his way out.
Ms Wrigley managed to wrestle the phone from his grasp, at which point Picken became aggressive and agitated, swallowing tablets in an apparent attempt to harm himself.
He was restrained for his safety and subsequently arrested.
The recovered phone revealed that Picken had been communicating with a girl who claimed to be 12 years old, exchanging around 80 messages in total.
In these messages, Picken again expressed his sexual arousal, stating he was “horny.” The identity of this girl remains unknown, but she was considered to be a vulnerable individual.
Faced with overwhelming evidence, Picken pleaded guilty to seven charges, including two counts of attempting to engage a child in sexual communication, two counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, possession of indecent photographs of a child, breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and attempting sexual communication with an unidentified vulnerable victim.
Judge Garrett Byrne, presiding over the case, dismissed arguments that Picken was not dangerous.
Citing a pre-sentence report indicating that Picken remained in denial about his sexual interests since 2015, the judge emphasized that his behavior demonstrated a continued disregard for the wellbeing of children.
The judge stated, “The wellbeing of the child is furthest from his mind but he continues unabated.” Sentencing Picken via videolink, Judge Byrne imposed a custodial term of five years in prison, with an additional three years on licence.
The judge concluded, “Your counsel urges me that it’s premature to reach any determination of dangerousness.
I disagree.
I’m satisfied I have enough material before me to make such an assessment and it’s in the interest of justice to proceed rather than delay any more.”
