Overview
- Stephen McLoughlin, 59, was sentenced Thursday at Bolton Crown Court to four years in prison and must serve about 40% before release on licence.
- Jurors convicted him of attempting to meet a girl under 16 after grooming, attempting sexual activity with a 13–15-year-old, two counts of attempted sexual communication with a child, and possessing a bladed article in public.
- The court found he sent explicit messages and images to TFN-run profiles he believed were aged 13 and 12, pressed to meet, and asked, "should we have sex if we meet up?"
- A TFN livestream on August 26, 2022 showed him outside Kirkby police station stabbing himself in the neck, and that incident formed the basis of the bladed-article conviction.
- His lawyer said he brought the knife to harm himself, reported he lost his butcher job and faced threats at home, and told the court he has vowed never to own a computer again.