Bus Driver Jailed
A bus driver who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old boy has been jailed. Frederick Irish of Brentwood Drive, Farnworth, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity at Liverpool Crown Court and was sentenced to 3 years 9 months. Irish used his position as a bus driver to strike up a relationship with the victim, who was a bus enthusiast. He first made contact with the 14-year-old via Facebook, using the boy’s interest in buses to build a relationship via text message and messages sent over the internet. The victim then started to spend time on Irish’s bus on a weekly basis, trips which would soon progress to Irish taking him for food or on trips to the bus museum. Gradually Irish started to ask questions about the victim’s sexuality, questioning which would culminate in him sexually assaulting the boy twice between 1st September and 30th October 2014. He also asked the boy to send sexual images of himself via mobile phone. Detective Constable Lynn Hughes from Wigan Phoenix team said: “Irish showed some classic predatory behaviour towards this young boy, targeting him because of his interest in buses knowing that he would be able to forge a relationship. “He was very cautious to start with, only attempting to turn the relationship sexual once he had already established quite a strong friendship with the victim. “He also exhibited classic grooming techniques, buying the boy gifts, food, taking him on trips and allowing him to ride along in the bus while he was driving his regular route. “This poor young lad was left understandably traumatised by this incident, he only wanted a friend with whom to share his interest in buses and instead Irish exploited this to groom and sexually abuse him over a number of weeks.” Project Phoenix is Greater Manchester’s multi-agency response to tackling child sex exploitation. Bringing together police, local authorities, NHS and third sector organisations, including Barnardo's, the Children's Society and Crimestoppers, Project Phoenix aims to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation, help people recognise the signs, encourage people to report it and provide support to victims and those most at risk. Please visit for information for children, young people, parents, carers and professionals on how to spot the signs of child sex exploitation and what to do about it.