June 2020

Paedophile caught with seven blades in car at 5am walks free again

A paedophile caught with seven blades including an axe when out in his car at 5am walked free from court for the second time.

Christopher John Oldland, who volunteered as a leader at the 8th Formby Scout Group, downloaded nearly 600 child sex abuse images.

The pervert, who was manager of the group behind Seaforth’s SING Plus community centre, had vile pictures of victims aged just three.

The married dad-of-one was first spared jail in January 2019, when he was handed a 42-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Oldland, 56, today admitted breaching his suspended sentence by possessing seven different “work tools” which he said he “forgot” he had.

But he was again spared jail, after a judge said sending him to prison would halt the good rehabilitation work he had carried out.

Liverpool Crown Court heard police were on patrol at around 5am when they stopped a Citroen C4 on Stanley Road, Bootle.

Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, said Oldland was driving the vehicle and had a front seat passenger – another male – in the car.

Officers searched the car and in the glove compartment recovered a “Workzone bladed multitool” and a Swiss Army Knife.

In a work bag in the boot they recovered a “Trojan knife”, an orange handled “Fiskers Axe”, a black handled “Moraknil knife” and another Swiss Army Knife.

Oldland, formerly of Greenloons Drive, Formby, now of Stanley Road, Bootle, was also searched and found to be carrying a “Gerber bladed multitool”

He was arrested, taken to a police station and interviewed, when he said he had received a phone call to pick up his male passenger in the early hours of the morning.

Mr Blasbery said: “When he was shown the photos [of the blades] he accepted they all belonged to him and he described them as tools.

“He didn’t describe them as weapons but he accepted ownership and said he didn’t have a lawful excuse.”

Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, said: “If he had been going to work, he would have had a lawful excuse, wouldn’t he?

“What makes this a crime is having them at that time of night with no work related purpose?”

Mr Blasbery replied: “Yes, in the early hours of the morning, 5.05am, with no work related purpose.

“I know we’re being hypothetical, but if he was going to work one would expect all seven items to be in the same place in the car.”

Oldland pleaded guilty to seven counts of possessing a knife blade or sharp pointed article in a public place without lawful excuse.

This was on the basis they were work tools and that he had forgotten they were there, which was not challenged by the Crown.

Mr Blasbery said: “It’s an account I don’t accept 100% in its entirety, because obviously your honour will be aware there were seven separate tools/weapons, one of them was actually on Mr Oldland, but as a result I don’t seek a trial of issue.”

He added: “I haven’t got any evidence to put forward if I were to cross-examine Mr Oldland that these knives or tools were to be used for any other purpose.”

The court heard Oldland was said to have had a “good level of compliance” with a 60-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement imposed in January last year.

Judge Flewitt confirmed with the prosecution that if he activated the suspended sentence, he would have to reduce it significantly, to reflect that progress.

He also confirmed that on the facts of the new offences he would have to sentence Oldland at the lower end of the sentencing range, and if he sent him to prison, it would therefore be “for a relatively short period of time”, and would “interfere with the rehabilitation process that is hopefully taking place”.

Brendan Carville, defending, urged the judge to spare his client jail and said he had entered a guilty plea at the earliest possible opportunity.

Judge Flewitt said: “Any reason he cannot do unpaid work? Presumably with all these tools he can.” Mr Carville replied: “No.”

The judge told Oldland that when he was spared jail last year he would have been told any further offences would put him at risk of being jailed.

He said: “That is exactly the situation you have found yourself in today and I understand you have acknowledged that because you have come prepared for a prison sentence.”

However, he said the new offences were completely different, he had been complying with the order, and the basis of plea had “saved” him from jail.

Judge Flewitt said: “You were found to be in possession of a number of bladed articles – the vast majority if not all of them were either self-evidently work tools, or tools that could have been used for work.”

The judge said he didn’t accept Oldland could have forgotten about the blade he had on his person, but “the prosecution cannot point to any ulterior motive for you having these items on your person at that time”.

Judge Flewitt handed him four months in prison, suspended for 18 months, with 120 hours of unpaid work, and 10 additional days of Rehabilitation Activity Requirement to mark the breach.

He said: “If I send you to prison all the good work that has been done under that suspended sentence order would come to a halt.

“It seems to me in all these circumstances that the public interest would be better served by allowing you to continue your rehabilitation by suspending this sentence and ordering you to undertake unpaid work for the benefit of the community.”

January 2019

Paedophile Scout leader caught with sick photos walks free from court

A paedophile Scout leader caught with hundreds of sickening pictures of children today walked free from court.

Christopher John Oldland, 54, who volunteered at the 8th Formby Scout Group, downloaded nearly 600 child sex abuse images.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the married dad-of-one’s twisted collection included photos of victims aged just three being molested.

Oldland is also the manager and company secretary of Seaforth Information Network Group (SING), which runs the SING Plus Centre.

The Cambridge Road facility’s services include an Ofsted registered nursery, holiday play scheme, youth activities and a disability group.

Oldland, formerly of Greenloons Drive, Formby, now of Stanley Road, Bootle, suggested he downloaded the pictures as a result of internet “pop-ups”.

But that assertion was rubbished by prosecutors, who said while there was no evidence of search terms, forensic analysis indicated he sought out the images.

After hearing evidence which showed they came from an external device or were sent to him, Judge Alan Conrad, QC, said this issue could affect sentencing.

Iain Criddle, prosecuting, said police acting on intelligence went to the SING Plus Centre, where they arrested Oldland and seized his two mobile phones, on July 10 last year.

They contained indecent images and officers then searched his family’s home in Formby, where they retrieved a tower computer and a USB device revealing more vile pictures.

Oldland, described in court as a “Scoutmaster” at the troop, which is based at St Luke’s Church in St Luke’s Church Road, admitted possessing 570 indecent images.

He admitted downloading 104 Category A – the most serious category showing the rape of young girls

Mr Criddle said: “Some of the children are as young as three, which is a significant aggravating feature.”

Judge Conrad said he had read a summary of the pictures and stated: “It’s deeply distressing to read of the suffering and degradation to which the children, very young children, three or four years of age in some cases, were subjected to by adults and then photographed, purely because there is a market for such troubling images. That is why this is such a serious matter.

“People will be deeply concerned at you, a man who has worked with children, being involved in such offending.

“It should be pointed out there has been no suggestion in this case of contact offences by you but it is also right you should not work with children again.”

The judge said Oldland accepted he had a problem and it was more constructive that his 42-week sentence be suspended for two years so he could get help.

He handed him a 60-day rehabilitation activity requirement and told him to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.