• Ten men were convicted of raping and sexually exploiting girls between the ages of 13 and 15 in Liverpool Crown Court.
• A victim shares how her traumatic ordeal has impacted her life today.
The remaining six members of a group of 10 men who groomed, raped and sexually abused underage girls in Blackrod, Bolton, between 2016 and 2018 were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today on Tuesday 29 April 2025.
Daniel Flatters, Jack Poulson, Cory Barrett, James Fitzgerald, Richard Haslam, and Elliott Turner are the final six men that have been handed substantial sentences for a range of sexual offences.
They have each been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register.
Jack Poulson, (25/04/1993) of Bolton (pictured above) was convicted of two counts of rape, five counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and one count of sexual communications with a child. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison, to serve two thirds. He has been handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a Restraining Order. He has been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
In an emotional and impactful statement, one brave victim shared how each of these predatory men made her feel and the devastating impact it has had on her life since, after they subjected her to continuous abuse and left her feeling fearful, intimidated and like she had no way out.
Her statement began: “This is the story of how these individuals destroyed my life forever. I think nothing can hurt me as bad as what they did to me, but I’m still terrified of everything and everyone around me. I can’t even go outside on my own.
“I suffered every form of abuse from each of these individuals, and they continue to haunt me every day. What they don’t realise is it’s not okay to take someone’s life just to get a quick fix.
“I’d rather be dead most days than deal with all this mental torture and memories.
The gang preyed on young girls aged between 13 and 15 by meeting them where they would hang out with other teenagers near the local community centre. They would then message them on private messaging and social media platforms.
Ashley Darbyshire, the primary offender who was sentenced to 15 years in jail yesterday, met the primary victim in 2016 when he was 19 and she was 13, and began messaging her online. He introduced her to nine of his friends, and they all used and abused her for their own sexual gratification into 2018.
Today, after a long and thorough investigation, with the help of the victims, these men have been brought to justice.
