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Online sex offender Liam Garth
Online sex offender Liam Garth

Online sex offender Liam Garth handed nine-year extended sentence

24 October 2015

A man who used online chat rooms to groom and incite teenage boys into sexual activity has been sentenced to a nine-year extended sentence.

Liam George Garth, 23, of Baildon, Shipley, West Yorkshire, appeared at Bradford Crown Court today (Friday 23 October 2015) having previously pleaded guilty to five offences against two victims:

  • Two counts of grooming boys aged 14 (between August 2013 and June 2014) and 15 (between April and July 2014) in an attempt meet up with them
  • Facilitate the commission of a child sex offence (June 2014)
  • Incite a boy aged 14 to engage in penetrative sexual activity between August 2013 and June 2014
  • Incite a boy aged 14/15 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity between April and July 2014
  • Incite a boy aged 15 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity between October 2010 and October 2011.

Garth will serve four-and-a-half years in prison and then four-and-a half years on licence when he is released. He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will be reviewed at a later date, and placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.

The North Yorkshire Police investigation into Garth’s offending lasted more than a year and included victims and potential victims from North and West Yorkshire. Enquiries are on-going to identify further potential suspects and victims both nationally and internationally in connection with the case.

 

Detective Constable Andy Rawlings, of the Harrogate Serious Crime Team, said:

Liam Garth is an extremely manipulative individual who poses a serious risk to impressionable young people.

It is clear from our investigation that he is a sexual predator and uses various online web chats, Skype in particular, to groom, entice and threaten his victims into committing sex acts for his own gratifications.

This case is a wake-up call for parents and guardians of young people who may fall victim to criminals like Liam Garth.

The very real dangers that lurk online are here to see and it is very worrying.

 

If you have any concerns about your child being sexually exploited online, please call North Yorkshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

The Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre (CEOP) also has useful support and advice on their website http://ceop.police.uk/

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Following customers’ complaints and a Trading Standards’ investigation, York Crown Court has sentenced a man to 10 month’s imprisonment for unfair trading offences. Liam Wilkinson, aged 25 of Eastbourne Road, Darlington paid a total £8,095 compensation for his victims, ahead of appearing in court on 30 October 2025 when he pleaded guilty to two offences. He was then sentenced on Friday 16 January 2026. City of York Council’s Trading Standards officers began investigating Mr Wilkinson’s activities in August 2024 after receiving complaints about his business, Brit-Plas. Brit-Plas leaflets were dropped around the city offering to replace UPVC guttering for a “genuine quotation” of £1,295. The leaflet claimed Brit-Plas is Yorkshire’s leading roofline specialists and “only when you are completely satisfied do you make the final payment.” The leaflet advertised this price to “recess your old wooden fascias, bargeboards, gutters and downpipes and replace them with new UPVC ventilated soffits, new UPVC fascias, new bargeboards and new guttering and downpipe system”. The leaflet offered free scaffolding and a 15-year guarantee. Four customers complained that when additional work was found to be required on their homes, it significantly increased the price. They said that the work completed was poor quality, and that their properties were left in a mess and were damaged because scaffolding wasn’t used as promised. After heavy rain, the customers found the new guttering leaked badly. An expert employed by Trading Standards found that the promises made by the trader, as set out in the marketing material, had not been delivered. They said that the approach to costing and execution of the work was most unprofessional, and aimed to mislead householders into believing that quality work would be delivered at a reasonable price. Despite the guarantee, the work had been found to have a more limited life, and some areas had already started failing. The workmanship fell below the standard normally expected. One customer described how they were repeatedly harassed for payment after the work had been completed. Workmen came to their house, banged on the window, shouted and swore. Cllr Jenny Kent, Executive Member for Environment at City of York Council, said: “Complaints about roofing and household repairs continue to top Trading Standards list and this is a particularly worrying case. We should be able to trust tradespeople to do good work on our homes, and prices should be honoured and not inflated to extortionate levels. Harassment is unacceptable and this case demonstrates how seriously the courts take these matters. “We urge consumers to get a few quotes from recommended traders, follow personal recommendations and look into companies as much as before agreeing to any work.” To share your concerns about poor quality workmanship, please call Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.

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