Man sentenced to 18 years for sexually abusing child

A man who subjected a child to years of sexual abuse has been sentenced to 18 years.

William Booth, of HMP Altcourse, was handed the sentence at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday 9th July 2025.

The 29-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of voyeurism, two counts of making indecent images of children, two counts of possession of indecent images of children and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

He was also found guilty of four counts of assaulting a child under 13 by penetration and three counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.

On 30th July 2024, Cheshire Police received reports of sexual abuse which occurred between 2017 and 2020 in the Northwich area of Cheshire, when the female victim was aged between eight and 10.

Booth would sexually assault the victim in his car and drive her to his address where the abuse would continue. She would tell Booth ‘no’ but he would carry on sexually assaulting her.

Booth was arrested on 31 July 2024 and his digital devices were seized as part of the investigation. Officers found indecent images and videos of children on his mobile phone, including those of category B and C.

Also on his device were extreme pornographic images, plus videos of the victim in the bathroom of his address, clearly recorded without her knowledge. He had even edited images of her to make them of a sexual nature.

A second victim was identified from the indecent images on his devices.

On 3rd October 2024, Booth was arrested again for indecent images offences and possession of an extreme pornographic image.

He was subsequently charged with the offences.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Charlotte Wilson said:

“Firstly, I would like to commend the victims in this case for their bravery throughout this investigation. I hope the fact that Booth has been jailed for a considerable length of time will help to bring them some closure after this incredibly traumatic time.

“Booth calculated his perverted offending, taking one of the victims in his car or to his address to enable him to privately abuse her. He even set up cameras to film her without her knowledge in an extreme violation of her privacy.

“However, Booth was convicted of these atrocious crimes and has been handed a lengthy sentence behind bars, where he cannot do this to anyone else.

“If you have been a victim of sexual abuse, please contact us through our website or by calling 101. We investigate all reports thoroughly with the needs and wishes of the victim as our main priority.”

Pictured - William Booth.