Convicted Sex Offenders

Man and Woman Sentenced to Combined 16 Years and 9 Months in Prison for Their Roles in the Sexual Abuse of a Child

TSC News 5 months ago 2 min read

In a disturbing case of child sexual abuse, a man and a woman have been sentenced to a combined total of 16 years and 9 months in prison. Naomi O’Brien, a 31-year-old woman from Ashton-under-Lyne, has been given a sentence of 4 years and 3 months in prison, along with a 4-year and 4-month Sexual Harm Prevention Order and Sex Offender Notification Requirements for life. Jonathan Walker, a 33-year-old man from Pontsticill, Merthyr Tydfil, has been found guilty and sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in prison.

The charges against Walker include sexually abusing a 4-year-old boy, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and possession of indecent images. During the investigation, chat conversations were discovered between Walker and O’Brien, revealing their sexual interest in children. O’Brien was found to have encouraged and assisted Walker in sexually abusing the victim on multiple occasions in March 2023.

Following a complex investigation, Walker was arrested for multiple offences, thanks to the collaboration between law enforcement agencies. O’Brien, on the other hand, pleaded guilty to multiple counts, including intentionally encouraging and assisting another to commit a sexual assault against a child, intentionally encouraging and assisting another to engage in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. She was sentenced on Monday, 20 November 2023.

DI Marsden, from the GMP’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, expressed sympathy for the victim and their family, acknowledging the terrible ordeal they had gone through. He commended the dedicated team for their tenacious and lengthy investigation, which involved analysing 1,865 messages. The evidence showed that the chats between the female suspect, O’Brien, and the male suspect, Walker, were not mere role play or fantasy, but rather a disturbing manifestation of their knowledge of Walker’s interest in sexually abusing a young boy, which O’Brien actively encouraged.

DI Marsden emphasised the importance of protecting the most vulnerable members of society and preventing similar offences against children in the future.