Suspended jail term for man who admitted ‘child grooming’

Dec 18 2007 by Lynda Roughley, Liverpool Daily Post

A FORMER Wirral man who admitted child grooming involving a 15-year-old girl has been given a suspended sentence.

William Calland, a father him- self, was arrested after the girl's parents became increasingly sus- picious about visits she allegedly made to a girlfriend's home.

They discovered that she had actually been at Calland's home in Bentley Road, Pensby, as had two of her friends. Text messages were found on the girl's mobile phone between her and Calland, said Ben Morris, prosecuting.

Some were affectionate but others were explicitly sexual, he said. The father of one of her friends, who was worried, called at the house, and the girl opened the door and Calland came downstairs.

He said he was the girl's father. The girl's father contacted the police on April 13 and when ques-tioned he said the girl probably viewed him as a “guardian angel” and described her as “like a daughter to him”.

Calland agreed she had stayed over a few times but denied any-thing sexual had taken place. He was warned not to have contact with the three girls again, but was later arrested.

Calland, 46, now of Church Street, Ruabon, North Wales, pleaded guilty to child grooming.

He was sentenced to three months in prison, suspended for two years and was placed under supervision for 18 months and ordered to sign on the Sex Offend-ers Register for seven years.

He was also banned from having any contact with the girl for two years. Judge Gilmour told him: "It is perhaps more for your protec-tion than hers in case she seeks to renew contact with you."

Trevor Parry-Jones, defending, said that Calland, who has no previous convictions, was divorc-ed with children and was having treatment for bladder cancer. Before his illness he was an IT consultant and various young-sters visited him because of their interest in computers.

He was initially unaware the girl was infatuated with him, but when he did become aware, he succumbed to her attention.