A chronic Anfield paedophile, John Riley, with a “unwholesome fascination with young girls” attributed his actions to his cocaine addiction after utilising social media to prey on 10 and 11-year-old youngsters online.
John Riley, 34, of HMP Liverpool, previously of Anfield, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday via video connection after admitting guilt to 18 sexual crimes associated with two distinct cases. Arthur Gibson, representing the prosecution, said the court that in 2019, in Cumbria, the mother of an 11-year-old girl discovered an unfamiliar contact named “JJ Smith” on her daughter’s phone, present on both Facebook and WhatsApp.
Her daughter subsequently verified that the defendant had added her on Facebook Messenger, informing him that she was 13 or 14 years old, while he claimed to be 14 or 15 years old. Mr. Gibson stated, “This defendant must have been scouring the internet in search of young girls to engage with.”
John Riley provided the girl with his personal phone number, and they continued their conversations on WhatsApp, including dialogues regarding their sexual experiences. Riley transmitted a photograph of his genitalia to the girl and requested that she reciprocate with films and images of herself engaging in sexual actions, which she complied with.
The 11-year-old victim informed the authorities that John Riley had threatened to murder her if she did not provide the photographs and videos, and that he claimed to know her and her residence. The victim’s mother contacted the police in Cumbria, who ascertained that Riley resided in Liverpool and then informed Merseyside Police, who executed a warrant at his residence in Croxteth.
He was apprehended and interrogated, during which he acknowledged using the identity JJ Smith, although expressed astonishment regarding the victim’s age of 11, as opposed to 13, attributing his behaviour to drink and cocaine consumption. He also refuted allegations of transmitting an image of his genitalia and asserted that no obscene images would be located on his phone.
John Riley’s phone was discovered to have 65 category A photographs, 36 category A movies, including those of the first victim, 112 category B images, three category B videos, and 140 category C images along with two category C videos. Certain photos were verified to have originated from Facebook Messenger.
While investigation into those offences were ongoing, in 2021, the mother of a ten-year-old girl in South Yorkshire checked her daughter’s phone as she often did. She found that her daughter had been in contact with a man on Instagram, Whatsapp and Snapchat.
Mr Gibson said that, despite the victim telling him that she was only 10 years old, John Riley had given her his phone number, sent her an image of his penis, asked for her to take and send indecent images of herself. He also referenced various sexual acts which the ten-year-old then Googled the meaning of.
Indecent images of the girl were also found in the deleted images section of her phone. The messages between John Riley and the girl were “extremely sexualised”, and included the defendant asking the girl if she would “get naked” if they were together.
One message sent by the victim to John Riley read: “I’m not doing this anymore, I’m only 10”. South Yorkshire police were able to establish that the phone number given belonged to John Riley, and they transferred the investigation to Merseyside police.
In March 2023, John Riley was arrested in relation to this incident, and a Samsung Galaxy phone was seized, and he was interviewed later that day. John Riley said he had an alcohol and cocaine problem which “made everything a blur”, and initially said he had not contacted the ten-year-old but then said he ‘hoped he hadn’t’.
He also claimed to have no recollection of messages recovered from the victim’s phone, but “hoped he hadn’t sent them” and “hoped he had not asked her to send him indecent images”. The 34-year-old, John Riley, also denied being sexually attracted to children, and again denied that there would be any indecent images on his phone.
Even more indecent images of children across all categories of severity were found on his phone, plus an extreme pornographic image. Two of the images found were confirmed to be of actual children from Kent and Wales, but their cowardly parents did not wish for their children to be involved in proceedings so there were no criminal charges brought.
The mother of the first victim provided a victim impact statement which was read by Mr Gibson, and detailed that the victim began self-harming and her behaviour in school deteriorated following these offences, which led to difficulty at home as well.
Her mother said she felt unable to discipline the child because of what had happened, but she often found her daughter in her bedroom crying. She also said the crime severely affected her as well, but she does now feel that her daughter has “grown up and moved on and started to live a life again”.
She ended the statement saying how relieved they were that John Riley pleaded guilty and spared them a trial. In relation to the first victim, John Riley pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child, one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, nine counts of making indecent images and one count of possessing an indecent image.
For the second set of offences, John Riley also pleaded guilty to causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, three counts of making indecent images, one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image and one count of possessing indecent images. He has no previous convictions.
Tom Challinor, defending, said his client’s life “went very badly wrong” following the death of his mother and brother. He said: “Part of what seems to have gone wrong appears to have been an increasing reliance on drink and drugs.
“The death of his mother some time ago marked the start of a descent into heavy drug use followed by the subsequent death of his brother in 2017. “That death was occasioned by his brother’s alcohol abuse because he also could not cope with the death of their mother.”
Judge Neil Flewitt KC, interjected: “This man has got an unhealthy interest in young girls, and that cannot derive from drink and drugs, that has to come from him.” Mr Challinor continued, stating that though these offences are very serious, there is no indication that John Riley ever tried to meet his victims.
In sentencing, Judge Flewitt said: “I have no doubt that what you caused the victim to do will remain with her for a long period, if not for the rest of her life. “But being arrested did not stop you, because having lost your mobile phone to the police who had seized it, within 12 months you had obtained a further mobile phone and had resumed your activity.
“Though your other victim’s mother has declined to provide a victim personal statement, I have no hesitation in concluding that your offending will have had a profound effect on that victim too.” Judge Flewitt said he agreed with assertions made by the probation service that John Riley was “highly controlling, manipulative, calculated and sophisticated in his offending”, and said he posed a high risk to young girls.
John Riley was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison. Forfeiture of the phone seized was ordered, and he will be subject to notification requirement and a sexual harm prevention order for the rest of his life.
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