Blackpool sex predator banned from child contact

Desmond Boylan has a history of sexual offences against children stretching back to 1986.

His crimes include indecently assaulting an 11-year-old girl, indecently exposing himself in front of five girls aged from eight to 17, and a public order offence in front of a four-year-old boy and eight-year-old girl which was sexually motivated.

Boylan, 48, of Shannon Street, Blackpool, was previously made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) – but he broke that six times.

Authorities decided to take further action after hearing he had become a member of the congregation at a Blackpool church, which was near a pre-school nursery.

Boylan had become involved in voluntary activities at the church and asked if he could hand out prizes to Girl Guides.

Blackpool magistrates have now applied a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to Boylan.

Rachel Fung, applying for the order on behalf of Lancashire Police, told the court a specialist assessor had assessed Boylan as posing “a very high risk of sexual offending in the future.”

She said: “This order is designed to protect the public. He poses a risk to vulnerable victims.”

Ms Fung said Boylan had a history of sexual offending over 30 years. He had been put on a SOPO but had breached it six times.

He had had unsupervised contact with children at a YMCA open day, dressed in ‘gremlin’ mask and handed out sticks of rock to youngsters, sent inappropriate messages to a 15-year-old girl on Facebook and followed a child to the toilet when he worked in a cafe.

Magistrates were told that Boylan was in the courthouse, but did not want to come into court. He did not appear in the courtroom.

Martin Hillson, for Boylan, said his client had become a member of a church which was near a nursery school but there was no suggestion he had been to the nursery
or spoken to the children there.

Mr Hillson said the SHPO was not designed to be a punishment order for anything that had taken place, but a preventative order.

He argued that an order for the minimum five years should be imposed.

The order bans Boylan from:

Approaching or communicating with any child under 18 or attempting to do so, except for inadvertent fleeting contact;

Having any unsupervised contact with a child under 18, apart from inadvertent or fleeting or with the consent of the child’s parents or guardian, who has knowledge of his convictions, and with the express approval of Social Services or the approval of a police officer from The Dangerous and Sexual Offender Unit or Public Protection Unit;

Entering or attempting to enter or remain in any recreational area where there are children under 18;

Entering or attempting to enter or remain in any school or educational premises which are specifically for pupils aged under 16 for example, nursery, infant, junior – secondary schools which have sixth form facilities for students under 18 are also included.