Twisted Alan Cherry has been given countless chances to change his ways but was caught out yet again
18:26, 11 May 2025Updated 18:31, 11 May 2025
Alan Cherry said only death would cure his sexual interest in children
A perverted grandad has been jailed again after he was caught trying to talk to an underage child on the internet. Alan Cherry, 67, has been convicted of sexual offences three times and was last jailed for three years and two months in 2021.
But after yet more sick online chats with an underage child, the dad of three grown up children was arrested by officers from the NWOCU and brought before the courts this week.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Wednesday, May 8, Cherry had started a conversation with a 13-year-old child over the internet, where he incited the child to engage in sexual activity.
Cherry, from St Helens, was identified and officers from the NWROCU attended his address on March 25 to arrest him.
Cherry was sentenced to four years and two months in jail after pleading guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, and for breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
He told a 13-year-old girl “that’s a sexy age”
However, Cherry’s twisted history goes back as far as 2017 when he was caught having graphic sex chats with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. But unfortunately for Cherry, the girl – ‘Chloe’ – was a fake profile set up by an undercover police officer.
Merseyside Police raided his former home in Claremont Road, Seaforth, where they found a stash of indecent images – including of children as young as three.
The court heard how undercover police officers created a fake profile for a 13-year-old girl called Chloe in June 2017 and went into various chat rooms including KIK and Chatstep.
On June 5, 2017, Cherry began chatting to Chloe over a four day period. When told she was only 13 he responded “that’s a sexy age” and told her he was 59 and they continued having chats over four days of “of an overtly sexual nature”.
“He told her he was horny. He repeatedly asked if she was wearing her school uniform and if she was wearing any underwear.”
On June 8, they spoke via Skype during which Cherry stripped naked and performed a sex act in front of the camera, said Mr Jones.
Police went to his home on June 14 and the indecent child abuse images were found. Cherry pleaded guilty to four offences involving downloading and possessing the child porn images and three offences of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
His barrister, Martine Snowden, said Cherry, who at the time had no similar convictions, was a window cleaner until fracturing his spine and has been unable to work, apart from some voluntary work making furniture for a charity.
She said: “He is at a loss as to why he engaged in this behaviour. He cannot really understand why he has done it. It began with an interest in adult pornography and progressed from that. He is a lonely individual who has allowed himself to progress into this isolated behaviour in secret.”
Miss Snowden said he was ashamed and remorseful. In 2018 Cherry was handed a three-year community order, so he could go on a sex offenders treatment programme.
He sent a photograph of his penis to a person he thought was a 14-year-old girl
But just two years later in 2020, Cherry was back before the courts after being caught sending a picture of his penis to a person he thought was a 14-year-old girl.
Liverpool Crown Court heard a ‘paedophile hunter’ group set up a fake profile on Kik Messenger with the name of ‘Sarah’.
Derek Jones, prosecuting, said Cherry messaged Sarah on October 28, 2019, who immediately told him she was 14. Mr Jones said they started chatting and “very soon” Cherry – who revealed his true age – asked if she performed sex acts.
Cherry repeatedly asked for naked photos, despite her saying: “Not again, you’re embarrassing me.” Mr Jones said: “He sent a photograph of his penis to the person he thought was a 14-year-old girl.”
Over a “few days” Cherry repeatedly asked Sarah about performing a sex act and encouraged her to do it. He then spoke to another member of the group – with an adult profile – and arranged to meet in Liverpool.
They detained him in the city centre, until police arrived and he was arrested, on November 22. He was jailed for eight months and ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.
“I have a problem, there is no cure for me”
But Cherry ignored the judge’s warning and in 2021 was back before the courts where he confessed to sending filthy messages to two ‘girls’ he thought were aged 12 and 13. This time the twisted paedophile told police, “I have a problem, there is no cure for me. The only way I can be cured is if I’m not alive.”
Liverpool Crown Court heard how in July 2021, a member of the group “Shatter the Silence” created a fake profile of a girl called Isla on the dating app Tagged. The profile said Isla was 25, but when Cherry contacted her on July 27, she said she was actually 13.
Cherry, who said he was 64, asked if she had seen boys’ “willies” or her dad’s penis and what size her breasts were.
Jamie Baxter, prosecuting, said Cherry also asked whether she did “naughty stuff” with boys and would like to see their “willies”, and when she said “no”, told her she should.
Cherry also asked her to show him her “private bits” on camera and to see her breasts, before saying he would perform a sex act.
Another member of Shatter the Silence created a second decoy profile, Darcy, who Cherry started talking to on August 1. She said she was 12 but he asked her about “willies”, whether she knew where they went and whether she had seen her mum naked.
Shatter the Silence contacted another paedophile hunters group, Fleetwood Enforcers, who went to see Cherry on August 12. After streaming his confession on Facebook Live they called the police, who arrested and interviewed him.
Jonathan Keane, defending, said Cherry had told him he was “sorry” and “how disgusted he is by his actions”. Cherry was jailed for three years and two months.