Leigh couple jailed for over 13 years for child sexual assaults
Jay Shaw and Katie Vernon sentenced after investigation uncovering indecent images
A couple from Leigh has been sentenced to a combined total of 13 and a half years in prison for sexual assaults involving children.
Jay Shaw, 49, and Katie Vernon, 31, of Plank Lane, Leigh, were convicted at Liverpool Crown Court following an investigation by Merseyside Police's Online Child Abuse Investigations Team (OCAIT).
The investigation began with the arrest of a suspected paedophile, leading detectives to Shaw.
On 1st July, officers executed an emergency warrant at Shaw's Greater Manchester home, uncovering a hidden phone containing thousands of indecent images, evidence of sexual assaults, and media of Vernon assaulting a young boy.
Shaw admitted to four sexual assaults against a female child and one against a male child.
He also pled guilty to making and possessing over 5,000 indecent images of children, including more than 3,000 Category A images, distribution of indecent images, and possession of a paedophile manual.
Shaw received a nine-and-a-half-year prison sentence with an additional five years on extended licence. Vernon's sentence is four-and-a-half years in jail for one count of sexual assault on a male child.
Both Shaw and Vernon will remain on the sex offenders register for life and are subject to lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Orders.
Detective Constable Danny Molyneux from OCAIT emphasised Merseyside Police's commitment to protecting children, stating, "It is shocking that Shaw and his partner carried out such horrific acts... We are committed to proactively targeting and arresting these individuals."
The case aligns with Merseyside Police's ‘Call it what it is’ campaign, which addresses child sexual exploitation and raises awareness about the signs and dangers associated with such offences.