Ethan Moran, a criminal previously incarcerated for a violent assault on a kid in a park, has been returned to custody.
Ethan Moran forcibly dislodged the boy’s front teeth and caused auditory issues after expressing disapproval of his involvement with a younger female.
The 21-year-old has been incarcerated once more for engaging in sexual relations with a minor.
Ethan Moran was charged with engaging in sexual intercourse with a minor and was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday.
Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting, explained how the offence occurred in the summer of 2020 when he was 19, while the complainant was a girl under the age of 16.
One evening, while both were at loose ends, they met up at the defendant’s flat on his invitation to watch a film.
The court heard how the defendant knew she was underage and she knew he was 19, but he met her outside and escorted her upstairs.
She thought they would only be watching a film due to her age, the court was told, however this escalated to kissing on the couch and then unprotected sex.
At the time she said she was ‘fine’, but then became ‘panicky’ due to the age difference.
The court heard that the defendant lied to the complainant’s parents about his age, but they soon found out and Ethan Moran was arrested in December 2020.
He admitted to police that they had engaged in sexual activity, but he told them he was in a ‘bad place’ at the time mentally and with drugs.
In an impact statement, the court heard how the complainant has suffered from anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts since the incident.
Ms Mottram revealed to the court that Ethan Moran has one previous conviction for wounding, for which he was handed 12 months detention in a young offender institution in May last year.
That offence took place three months after the sex offence, but before he was arrested for it.
It arose after his punch in Brickfield Park in Orford knocked a teen’s front tooth out and left him with hearing problems.
Ethan Moran, who had taken class A drugs beforehand, launched the attack on a 16-year-old boy, as for ‘reasons unknown’, he objected to his victim starting a relationship with a 15-year-old girl.
The defendant continued to punch the teen five or six times to the head after knocking him to the ground and only stopped after desperate pleas from shocked onlookers.
The boy took his tooth to the dentist the next day, where he was told the tooth would not stay in and would require an implant which requires replacing every 10 to 15 years.
He also revealed that he must wear a hearing aid for the rest of his life due to hearing problems developed as a result of the attack.
In defence of his client, Anthony Rose referenced Ethan Moran’s guilty plea and the fact that ‘this is not a situation where there was an element of coercion or grooming’.
“This was an inappropriate and wrong sexual relationship between two consenting people,” the barrister explained.
“The defendant is a different person then than he is now, as he has been through a significant custodial sentence which had a profound effect on him.
“He has done a lot of growing up since then, and he was very immature a the time of the offence.”
Mr Rose told the court that the defendant has been volunteering with a group helping to deliver food parcels as he ‘wants to pay back and become a better person’, and added that there is a ‘compelling argument to allow this man to have his liberty’.
But this view was rejected by judge David Potter, who concluded that only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate.
He said: “This was clearly inappropriate and wrong sexual activity, which you accept.
“The offence is a serious offence, and I am satisfied that you knew the person you had penetrative sex with was under 16.
“The law exists to protect children, sometimes from themselves. You should have known and acted better.
“The offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence is appropriate.
“The sentence is capable of being suspended, but I am satisfied that only adequate punishment can be achieved by the imposition of an immediate sentence of imprisonment.”
Ethan Moran, of Poplars Avenue, Padgate, Warrington, Cheshire, WA2, was sentenced to six months in prison.
He was also handed a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and must abide by sex offender registration requirements for the same length of time.
In addition, a restraining order preventing him from contacting the complainant by any means was imposed for an indefinite period.
UPDATE 251124
A paedophile chef put his head in his hands as he was sent back to prison. Ethan Moran was originally locked up for sexually abusing a teenage girl but, following his release from jail, failed to abide to the terms of the sex offenders’ register, with the police discovering that he was living at an address with three children after being informed by his own mum.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Friday, that 24-year-old was handed a 10-year notification requirement in October 2022 after being convicted of sexual activity with a child. This offence was committed against a 15-year-old girl in 2020, when he was aged 19.
But Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, described how officers then attended his mother’s home while searching for a missing person on September 12 this year. During this visit, she told PCs that Ethan Moran, then of Vulcan Close in Warrington, had been living with his sister and her three kids since May 2024.
He had failed to notify Cheshire Police of this fact as he was obliged to do under the terms of the register. Sarah Griffin, defending, told the court: “He is relatively immature. He does have mental health difficulties.
“Perhaps most importantly, he has since moved to live in Blackpool and immediately informed the police of his new address. He has demonstrated that he has learned his lesson.
“He has found full-time employment at the Coyote Ugly bar in Blackpool as a chef. He lives at a property in Blackpool with his fiancée and her mother and partner. He has been working full time and he has found some direction. This is a defendant who has done his best to turn his life around.”
Ethan Moran admitted failing to comply with notification requirements. He initially put his head in his hands then nodded after being told he was being jailed for six months. Sentencing, Judge Anil Murray said: “The order was made in order to keep you separate from children, even if their parents were unwise enough to allow you to have access with them.”
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