December 2001

ULSTER PAEDOPHILE IS JAILED

A 40-year-old Belfast man, who kidnapped a little girl and boy by walking off with them along a Merseyside street has been jailed for six years.

After a Liverpool Crown Court jury found Anthony Knowles guilty of two offences of kidnap and one of attempting to kidnap of another child, the court heard that he had previous convictions for child abuse. He had only been free for 17 days when he committed the offences.

Jailing him, Judge Nigel Gilmour said a psychiatric report had put Knowles in the highest risk category for children.

During a three day trial the court heard that Knowles, who comes from Belfast, struck on June 25 when the three children were playing in Sunlight Street, Tuebrook.

Knowles offered one girl pounds 5 to show him the way to a shop. He asked a seven-year-old boy and the girl’s 10-year-old sister to come along as well.

The boy agreed but the older girl refused so Knowles set off with the two children, holding their hands firmly enough to hurt the girl. Before they began walking he kissed the boy on the top of the head and rubbed his hair.

The court hear Knowles put his arms around the girl and hugged her saying: “I’ll take this little girl.” She was scared.

When they got to the shop he told the boy he could only have one thing and the girl she could have lots of things, said David Owen, prosecuting.

He said the girl’s sister had told the children’s mothers what had happened and they retrieved the children from him. When police arrived they couldn’t find him.

Five days later the girls’ father was driving along when she pointed Knowles out to him. Knowles was arrested at Tuebrook police station.

Knowles, of Columbus Ravine, Scarborough, admitted asking directions from the children. He denied being on the prowl for children or inducing them to go with him or touching them.

Judge Nigel Gilmour, QC, said: “I am satisfied you were looking for children in the hope that they might accompany you to a place of privacy where you could indecently assault them.

“I take the view you represent a serious risk to children of both sexes and have uncontrollable urges to do harm to young children. The public must be protected from you.”

The court heard Knowles had been jailed for four years in June 1998 for kidnapping a seven-year-old boy.

His earlier convictions include indecently assaulting both a boy and girl while he was living in Northern Ireland and he received 30 months in 1997 at York for indecently assaulting an 18-month-old boy.