Historical sex offences against children.

Litherland Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Historical Sexual Offences

Stephen Finnigan, 63, of Longfield Road, Litherland, has been sentenced to 29 years and six months for 29 counts of historical sexual offences against five children.

Finnigan was sentenced on Friday, January 5th, at Liverpool Crown Court following a two-week trial. He was found guilty of multiple counts of indecent assault, gross indecency, and other sexual offences.

The investigation began in 2014 after a report of sexual offences against a child, spanning several years. Further victims came forward, leading to charges in 2022. The crimes were historic, dating back to the last century, and involved Finnigan abusing his position of trust as an instructor in the army cadets.

Merseyside Police emphasized that the army cadets cooperated fully throughout the investigation and their assistance was invaluable.

Detective Constable Claire McDonald said: "The predatory behaviour displayed by Finnigan is utterly appalling and he will now spend years in prison for his depraved actions. His victims have shown immense courage and bravery to report the deplorable offences that Finnigan committed."

McDonald continued, "Finnigan continued to deny the offences, which meant his victims had to endure a trial when they had to relive the horrific experiences. As you can imagine for victims of such an appalling crime, the impact on them is significant and long-lasting. I hope this sentence provides some comfort in knowing they did the right thing by reporting Finnigan's heinous crime to us."

She added, "I want to stress that time is no barrier to reporting offences and Merseyside Police is completely committed to protecting children from sexual abuse and those who seek to do them harm, regardless of when the offences occurred. If you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know of a child being abused, please come forward and report this to police. We take all such reports extremely seriously and if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us we have specially trained officers who will treat you with sensitivity and compassion."

A spokesperson for the army cadets said: "The Cadet organisation has cooperated fully with Merseyside Police throughout the investigation and has clear safeguarding measures and procedures in place to ensure the protection and support of all cadets and adult volunteers, through security screening, rigorous disclosure checks and regular safeguarding training."