Manipulative Clitheroe paedophile who targeted young boys jailed for 24 years

Andrew Thomson (53) was sent to prison on Friday after carrying out serious sexual offences against a six-year-old boy and an eight-year-old boy. Thomson, of Bawdlands, pleaded guilty to attempted rape of a child under 13, causing/inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Sitting at Burnley Crown Court, Judge Sara Dodd also made him the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and placed him on the Sex offenders Register for life.

After police arrested Thomson for those crimes, they were contacted by two further victims who the defendant had befriended and then sexually assaulted some years earlier.

Thomson groomed his first two victims, attempted to rape them and carried out multiple sexual assaults against them. He also forced them to watch him perform lewd acts on himself in their presence.

He told his victims not to tell anyone about what he was doing to them “or it will be bad luck in life”.

Those offences mainly occurred in Accrington.

DC Hannah Blundell, of the Force Major Investigation Team, said: “Thomson is a manipulative sexual deviant who carried out unspeakable sexual crimes against two vulnerable boys. This is some of the worst sexual offending I have seen in my career and I welcome the significant sentence Thomson has received, which reflects the very real danger he poses to all male children.

“I want to praise the victims for their bravery in coming forward, though they may not fully understand what happened to them or why.”

When news of Thomson’s arrest for those offences came to light, two further victims came forward. He befriended them when he was in his late teens/early 20s and they were still at school.

He sexually assaulted the third victim, who was around nine or 10 at the time and so traumatised by what happened that he moved away from the area.

The fourth victim was between eight and 10-years-old when Thomson invited him into his house in Accrington where he sexually assaulted him in his bedroom.

DC Jason Taylor, who is from our East Child Protection Team, said: “Thomson has left a trail of destruction in his wake as a result of his abhorrent sexual conduct. This offending has spanned decades and has had a profound impact on all of his victims and their loved ones.

“I hope the outcome of this case encourages other victims to come forward, confident they will be believed, listened to and that we will do everything in our power to put their abuser before the courts.”