Boy, 13, lost in city centre turned to 'policeman' for help, but he was a prolific paedophile in disguise
06.12.2023 - 08:35
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A cold and distressed young boy lost in a city centre fell into the clutches of a prolific paedophile prowling the streets at 3am dressed as a police officer - wearing a bullet proof vest, a utility belt and holding what appeared to be a wireless radio, a court heard.
Robert Byrne was told by a judge who jailed him that he had a 'lifetime of committing sexual offences against teenage boys'.
He had previously been caught in Manchester impersonating a police officer in 2003, the judge was told. In that case, he 'befriended' a young boy near Piccadilly railway station, in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which prevented him from having any contact with underage youngsters, prosecutors said.
The 13-year-old victim in the latest case had run away from where he was living and travelled on his own into Liverpool city centre, hoping to find his mum's house in the Everton area, the city's crown court was told.
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However he ended up lost and scared in the early hours of February 27 this year, and turned to a city centre shopkeeper for help. Meanwhile, prolific child abuser Byrne, 56, was prowling the area.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Tuesday that Byrne, of Fountains Road in Birkenhead, was flagged down by the shopkeeper at around 3.10am, who had been previously been led to believe that Byrne was an undercover officer.
The court heard Byrne told the shopkeeper he would 'radio in' the lost boy, and walked away with him towards a McDonald's, telling him "I was due to finish early but now I