Detectives from our Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) squad are pleased with the sentencing of a Kirkby Paedophile, Mark Brinton, to 13 years in prison for repeated sexual offences against a child.
Mark Brinton, aged 50, residing on Rockford Avenue, was sentenced today, Monday, 19 May, at Liverpool Crown Court. He has received a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 15 years, stipulating that he must not have unsupervised contact with any child under 18 years, and Mark Brinton’s gadgets will be subject to monitoring. A restraining order was also imposed for 15 years, prohibiting any contact with the complainant and three of her family members.
Mark Brinton entered a plea of not guilty to the charges and was subsequently convicted in February after a trial. Mark Brinton was detained in jail prior to the sentencing.
Mark Brinton was found guilty of the following offences:
- Seven counts of Sexual activity with a child
- One count of Inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
- Four counts of Causing a child to engage in sexual activity
He has been given a determinate sentence
The offences took place between 2016 and 2018.
An excerpt from the victim’s Victim Personal Statement (VPS) follows: “There’s a saying that time heals everything; this saying will never be true for me. No matter how long I live, I will always face this vicious cycle. I can’t go too long without having mental breakdowns, about three weeks at most. I find myself staying up till 4-5am trying to comfort myself to sleep, but most of the time, I end up just crying so much that I pass out.
“After this court case, I do want to receive help because I can’t continue trying to pretend I’m fine. I constantly feel vulnerable. I’m always afraid. I’m fearful of not just other people but myself. I’m so scared of falling back into old habits… I don’t open up too often because I’m afraid that being vulnerable will be used against me or that I will be laughed at for being vulnerable and weak. I tend to try not to show how I feel. If I were to act how I feel, I’d walk around in a full body of armour to protect myself. That’s how vulnerable I feel. I just got really good at masking everything from everyone.
“Throughout the time that I’ve spent giving evidence, it has pushed me to have flashbacks and endure all of my feelings again. It’s been one of the most mentally challenging experiences I’ve ever had to do. I’ve never been more proud of myself until the day that I stood on the stand and gave my evidence and my truth. Doing this has made me see myself in a completely different light.”
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Becky Robinson said: “Mark Brinton is a despicable, persistent and manipulative offender who now faces a long prison sentence, and we welcome today’s outcome. Mark Brinton’s not guilty pleas also put his victim through the added trauma of a trial, the impact of which is clear from their words. The harm caused has been, and continues to be, significant. Our hope is that they now at least feel a sense of justice having been served, and today’s sentencing in some way helps their recovery moving forward.
“I’d also like to thank them for seeing this process through to the conclusion, which we understand requires a great deal of bravery, strength and wider support from family and friends.
“If you or anyone you know has been the victim of a sexual offence, please be assured that we have specially trained call handlers and detectives who will be there every step of the way. There are also specialist support services across Merseyside, which can help in a variety of ways, whether you have reported an incident to police or not.”
To report a sexual offence, you can 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, court process and beyond.
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:
https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences/
Support is also available through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service: Home: Victim Care Merseyside
We recently launched our Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) campaign to put the voices of women and girls at the heart of our work to tackle VAWG. You can find out more about the campaign here: www.merseyside.police.uk/vawg