A pervert has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for historical child sex offences in Barrow and possessing prohibited images of children. 

John Dalton, 43, of Ifor Street, Mountain Ash, South Wales,was sentenced today at Preston Crown Court. 

He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to two counts of indecency with a child, one count of indecent assault on a child and four counts of possessing prohibited images of children. 

He has also been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years, and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years which prohibits him from having unsupervised contact with under 16s and orders him to allow his computing equipment to be inspected by the police at their request. 

The child sex offences occurred in the Adelaide Street area of Barrow during the late 1980s. 

The victim was approximately 10 years old when the abuse took place over a six week period. 

Detective Constable Ben Falvey said: “Dalton’s behaviour was completely inexcusable and I am pleased that he has been brought before the courts to answer for this crime.

"We have been able to show through examination of his computers that even though Dalton committed these offences whilst he was a juvenile, he maintained into adult life an unhealthy sexual interest in children. 

“I would like to thank the victim for his bravery in coming forward to report the incidents to the police, and I hope today’s sentence will bring him some sense of closure.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone who feels they might be a victim of a sexual offence to contact us so we can investigate. 

It is never too late to report abuse, as this case shows. Every single report is treated professionally and sensitively and victims will be supported by specially trained officers.”

Anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse, or has concerns about a friend or relative, can contact Cumbria Police on 101 and speak to a trained officer, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.