A man has been jailed for 17 years after being found guilty of multiple child sex offences in Bootle. Liam Brannan, 33, of Antonio Street, Bootle, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court, on:- Monday, 11 November 2023, after a jury found him guilty of the following offences:-

- 3 counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13.

- 6 counts of sexual assault.

- 2 counts of rape.

He has also been issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, a Restraining Order and a lifetime requirement to sign the Sex Offender Register.

Brannan targeted his victim between:- 2019 to 2021, with the 1st offence occurring when she was 12 years old.

Brannan was arrested in March 2022 and following a complex investigation, he was charged in January 2024.

Detective Inspector Carla Cross said:- “I want to acknowledge the bravery and courage of the victim for reporting the offences to us. I hope this sentencing shows that time is no barrier to reporting sexual offences and that we take every report extremely seriously. Brannan is clearly a predator who targeted his victim over a number of years. He also denied the offences and forced her to go through a trial and relive the trauma. I sincerely hope that today’s sentencing brings her some comfort now that justice has been done.”

Constable Tasmin Windle, who worked on the investigation, added:- “Merseyside Police is completely committed to protecting children from sexual abuse and those who seek to do them harm. We have specialist officers who investigate such crimes, and provide full support to victims and their families. 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, our specialist officers will treat you with sensitivity and compassion.”

If you are a child or young person suffering sexual or physical abuse, the following organisations can also provide help and support:-

NSPCC - call:- 08088005000, or email:- Help@NSPCC.Org.UK.

Childline - call:- 08001111.

If you’ve been affected by sexual violence of any kind don’t be afraid to tell someone, find the courage to come forward and get the help you deserve.

You can report rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences anonymously here.

There is a lot of support available from specialist officers within Merseyside Police and through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service delivered jointly by two registered charities.

In Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, support is provided by Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on:- 01515581801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on:- 01925221546 or:- 03303630063.