WILLIAM KIRBY OF RUNCORN CAUGHT WITH EXTREME PORN AND TRAVELING FIRST CLASS AS A KNIGHT

In April 2014, a disturbing case emerged involving William Kirby, a convicted sex offender from Runcorn, who was found to have engaged in a series of heinous activities involving child exploitation and fraudulent behavior. The court heard that Kirby, aged 38 and residing at Waterside Court in Runcorn, had gone to great lengths to conceal his illicit activities while maintaining a facade of respectability.

According to court proceedings at Chester Crown Court, Kirby had downloaded thousands of shocking and repulsive images and videos depicting the abuse of children, including a four-month-old baby, as well as disturbing content involving animals. His collection of illegal material was described as 'disgusting' and 'extreme,' highlighting the severity of his offenses. The police investigation revealed that Kirby used a fake identity, under the name ‘Sir Michael Jordan Mitchell,’ to obtain a letter and credit card, which he exploited to fund his lavish travel habits. Over a period, he purchased 27 first-class train tickets across the country, amounting to nearly £30,000, all paid for with this fraudulent credit card.

Prosecutor Peter Hussey explained that Kirby, also known by aliases such as Jordan Leigh Scott-Michael, was seen by staff at Runcorn train station boarding trains dressed as a pilot, with a cast on his leg, further emphasizing his penchant for adopting different personas. His behavior was characterized as that of a fantasist, who bought train tickets knowing that the payments would not be processed immediately, thus avoiding detection. The police found that Kirby’s three laptops contained a vast amount of illegal material, including videos of children aged between three and six being raped, along with images of animals being sexually abused. These devices were seized during police searches, which uncovered a total of 1,523 extreme images and 213 videos, many classified as the most serious category of abuse.

Further investigations revealed that Kirby had attempted to secure employment with Virgin Trains, despite his prior convictions for indecent and sexual assault, without disclosing his criminal history. On March 4, police returned to his residence after suspecting he had stolen a bag from a train. During this search, they recovered a third laptop hidden inside a tumble dryer, containing an additional 614 images and 31 videos of children being abused, as well as disturbing footage of women performing sex acts on horses and dogs. The police described the content as among the most depraved they had encountered.

In sentencing, The Recorder of Chester, Elgan Edwards, sentenced Kirby to five years in prison. He stated, “This is a very worrying picture you present to the court. The police take possession of your computers and find pornography of the most enraging and filthy kind. It is quite disgusting and you should feel truly ashamed.” Throughout the proceedings, Kirby, dressed in a white woollen jumper, remained expressionless as the evidence was presented. He had previously participated in a treatment program for sex offenders and pleaded guilty to 11 counts of fraud and 31 counts of possessing and creating indecent images of children, with the offenses spanning from October 2012 to February 2013.

Defense lawyer Stephen Polson described Kirby as a complex individual and a fantasist who adopts various guises, suggesting that he seeks attention through his behavior. The court also imposed a restriction banning him from having unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 16, reflecting the seriousness of his crimes and the ongoing concern for public safety.