Former teacher from Rainford jailed for historic sex offences with pupil
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A former teacher from Rainford has been jailed for more than two years today, Friday 11 November, for historic sexual offences with a pupil.
Paul Daw, 55 years, of Higher Lane in Rainford pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court and was sentenced to two years and four months in prison.
He has also been put on the Sexual Offenders Register for 10 years.
Today’s conviction relates to historic offences which took place in the 1990s when Daw was a teacher at a school in St Helens and began grooming his teenage victim.
This began by offering extra support with her work and giving her compliments on how she looked. He was 29 at the time it started.
His offences then progressed by becoming more intimate both in and out of school hours and buying her gifts.
The victim reported the incidents to police, and Daw was charged on September 6 with four counts of indecent assaults.
Detective Constable Rebecca Robinson said: “The victim showed immense courage and bravery to report this historic crime to us which has had a lasting impact on her, and where he breached his position of trust.
“While no sentence will repair the damage that Daw’s abuse has caused, I hope today’s sentencing will not only provide his victim with justice, but also encourage other victims to come forward and have the confidence in us as a police force to take reports seriously and ensure offenders are put before the courts so that they can pay for their crimes.
“Anyone that has been a victim of a sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should come forward and speak to us.
“We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.
“Time is no barrier to reporting offences and I would urge anyone who has been victim of a sexual offence at any time to come forward and we will do everything we can to help and support them.”
Anyone with information or wants to report a sexual offence is asked to call 101 where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always call 999.
If you have been a victim of sexual assault or rape, you can access specialist support services, which are free of charge and available to anyone. You do not need a referral or to have reported an incident to Merseyside Police before you access these specialist support services.
These services can support you in a variety of ways, including offering a confidential discussion if you are thinking of making a police report, but are unsure what that involves and would like to discuss it.
If you do decide to report to Merseyside Police, you will receive support throughout the investigation and court processes.
You can choose to make an anonymous report through the Sexual Assault Referral Centre called Safe Place, or the Independent Sexual Violence Advisor service, rather than coming directly to Merseyside Police.
With no police involvement, a specialist doctor at Safe Place can examine you to check that you are ok and look for DNA evidence, which they will store to support your case. This gives you the option of making a formal police report at a later time, if you choose to.
Support is also available in Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, from Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.If you do not require immediate police assistance then you can report rape and sexual assault via our website here:
Support is also available through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service: Home: Victim Care Merseyside
Alternatively, you can report a sexual offence by calling 101 or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always call 999.
We have recently launched our plan to tackle the issue of violence against women and girls and help women and girls to feel safe and be safe across Merseyside. The link can be found here: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/police-forces/merseyside-police/areas/campaigns/campaigns/2022/our-commitment-to-keeping-women-and-girls-safe-in-merseyside/our-approach/
For women who have felt or feel unsafe in public spaces the Home Office has set up a pilot service (StreetSafe | Police.uk (www.police.uk) for anyone to anonymously report public places where they have felt or feel unsafe, because of environmental issues, e.g. street lighting, abandoned buildings or vandalism and/or because of some behaviours, e.g. being followed or verbally abused. Please note: 'StreetSafe' is not for reporting crime or incidents.