A MAN from Cheshire has been found guilty of 43 sexual offences against children following a trial.

Clinton Royle, of Elm Drive, Crewe, was found guilty of the offences at Chester Crown Court today (Monday, July 29) following a 11-day trial.

The 62-year-old was found guilty of 28 counts of assaulting a girl under 13, two counts of taking an indecent photograph of a child, three counts of possessing indecent photographs of children, three counts of making indecent photographs of child, and seven counts of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He has been remanded in custody to appear at Chester Crown Court on Friday, September 27 to be sentenced.

Royle was arrested following a report in 2019 about non-recent child sexual abuse offences which occurred between August 2012 and April 2016 when the child victim was between the ages of 8 and 12 years.  

Following his arrest an investigation was launched by officers in the Protecting Vulnerable Persons Investigations Department and various items were seized from his home,  including children’s clothing, hard drives, and digital storage devices.

Royle denied all allegations during police interview and was released on bail whilst the investigation was on-going.

Cheshire police’s digital forensic unit conducted analysis of Royle’s devices. Discovering encrypted and password protected files containing thousands of indecent images of children. The files also contained recordings of Royle’s offending.

Further investigations were conducted, and officers were able to identify other child victims aged between 3 & 12 years at the time of the offending.

Whilst Royle confirmed he was present in the videos and images with the children, he denied the offence claiming that his actions and the images were not of a sexual nature. Despite his denials, he was charged with the offences in April 2023.

Following the verdict, Detective Constable Amy Pegnam said:  “This has been a complex and lengthy investigation, and I would like to commend the bravery of the victims in this case, the officers who have worked hard to collect evidence against Royle, and all those involved who have helped bring this sexual predator to justice.

“Royle’s actions against young children were purely to satisfy his own warped sexual desires, showing absolutely no regard for the children he targeted. But now he will finally be held accountable for his actions.

“I hope this verdict today will bring the victims some closure and allow them to move on with their lives, with the knowledge that Royle will be put behind bars for his horrific crimes.”

DC Amy Pegnam added:  “As this case shows, we treat all reports of non-recent sexual offences seriously, with the wishes and needs of the victims as our main priority, and any allegations will be thoroughly investigated.

“Anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse – no matter how long ago the incident took place – is urged to come forward and report it to Cheshire Police on 101 or through our website.”