Today, Thursday 21 September, a man has been jailed for more than four years for committing child sex offences in Liverpool.
Erickson Pascual, 32 years, of Fazakerley was sentenced to four years and four months in prison at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty at a previous court hearing in August.
He was also issued with a 10-year restraining order and 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and is required to sign the Sex Offender Register for life.
At a previous court hearing in August, he pleaded guilty to a number of child sexual offences including meeting a girl under 16 years of age following grooming, possession and making indecent photographs of a child, and operating equipment beneath clothing of another without consent.
Today’s sentencing is in relation to the grooming of a 13-year-old girl that he met in Liverpool city centre and stated that he was 21 years old.
Following an exchange of messages Pascual met the youngster on a number of occasions and bought alcohol and incited engaging in sexual intercourse with the child.
Detective Inspector Alan Nuttall said, “The predatory behaviour displayed by Pascual with the young victim was very disturbing, and thankfully no sexual activity took place between them both.
“The young victim and her family have showed immense courage and bravery to report this crime to us where he she believed him to be younger than what he was.
“During the investigation, detectives also found a significant number of videos of indecent up-skirting videos of both schoolgirls and women that he filmed on his phone, so today’s custodial sentence has removed him from the streets to prevent further harm to anyone else.
“I hope Pascual spends this time in prison to reflect on his wholly unacceptable behaviour and accepts that it is wrong.”
Det Insp Nuttall added, “I hope this sentencing encourages other victims to come forward and report sex offences to us, and they have confidence in us, as a police force, to take reports seriously where we will ensure offenders are put before the courts so that they can pay for their crimes.
“Anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know, or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should come forward and speak to us.
“We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports, and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.
“Time is no barrier to reporting offences and I would urge anyone who has been victim of a sexual offence at any time to come forward and we will do everything we can to help and support them.”
If you are a child or young person suffering sexual or physical abuse, the following organisations can also provide help and support:
NSPCC – call 0808 800 5000 or e-mail help@nspcc.org.uk 
Childline – call 0800 1111
If you’ve been affected by sexual violence of any kind don’t be afraid to tell someone, find the courage to come forward and get the help you deserve.
You can report rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences anonymously here: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences/how-to-report-rape-sexual-assault-other-sexual-offences/
There is a lot of support available from specialist officers within Merseyside Police and through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service delivered jointly by two registered charities.
In Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, support is provided by Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.
Image: Merseyside Police
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