Pervert’s sentence upheld

Date published: 29 July 2013


A paedophile who performed a sex act in Oldham town centre only yards from unsuspecting children can have no complaint about his jail term, top judges have ruled.
Martin Lawless (57) of no fixed abode, used a computer at Oldham library to access seemingly innocent images of children, before committing the offence in public moments later in August last year.

Lawless was jailed for 40 months at Manchester Crown Court in January, after he admitted outraging public decency and five breaches of a sexual offences prevention order.

Two senior judges at London’s Court of Appeal on Friday, rejected the sex offender’s sentence challenge, saying he had a “long-term, pervasive, sexual interest in young children” and deserved his punishment.