A CONVICTED child rapist who abducted a 12-year-old boy because he wanted to sexually abuse him has been jailed for life.

The youngster was targeted by 34-year-old James William, who four months earlier had been deemed safe for release after serving a 12 year stretch behind bars for sexually abusing young boys.

His earlier offences included three child rapes.

The boy was with friends in Carlisle when he was lured away by William, who said he was new to the area and wanted to be shown suitable routes for running.

The defendant's sexual attack went only so far as William attempting to pull off the boy's clothes. The defendant fled when the victim's mother – alerted by her son's friends – went looking for him and screamed out his name.

Former Lancashire man William, who had moved to Carlisle, admitted kidnap, sexual assault, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence, and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

At Carlisle Crown Court, Judge Michael Fanning said he agreed with a Probation Service assessment that the defendant posed a “very high risk” of causing sexual harm to young boys.

Prosecutor Peter Wilson outlined how the boy had been playing with friends one day in 2022, when William approached him.

He chatted to the youngster, telling him he was new the area and wanted somebody to show him suitable running routes. “He then offered the boy £20 to show him around the area,” said Mr Wilson.

In this way, he tricked the youngster into walking away from the group. He also offered the child a drink of what turned out to be alcohol.

Fortunately, the boy’s friends alerted his mother, who immediately went looking for him. William had just started to pull at the boy’s shirt when the child's mother screamed out his name.

This scared William, who ran away, chased by the mother, who immediately called 999. The court also heard a moving statement from the boy’s mother.

She spoke of the profound impact of what happened – so profound the family had felt compelled to move house. Plagued by nightmares, the boy struggled to sleep and would wake at night distressed.

The woman said: “Watching [my son] go through this, trying to cope with these feelings, is absolutely draining. I never imagined that something like this could happen to my family in Carlisle.

“It’s like something you would watch on television.”

Judge Fanning told William: “You have a history of very serious sexual offences committed against young boys, so serious that you received an indeterminate sentence for public protection.

“You were not assessed as safe to release until you were 12 years into that sentence… within four months you had committed these offences against this child.”

Most people were attracted to people of their own age, continued the judge, telling William: “But people like you, with your urges, do not outgrow their attraction to children… and on the evidence to date you will always act on it when the opportunity arises.”

The judge referred to the devastating impact of the defendant's crimes, saying: "You have heard just how traumatic this experience has been for your victim.... Even now he dreams about what you did to him.

"He sees your face; and he's not the confident outgoing boy he was before he met you." The youngster suffered nightmares and the entire family had been affected.

Given the defendant’s history, said the judge, William posed an “entrenched, enduring, and very high risk” of inflicting serious sexual harm on young boys which will continue.

Judge Fanning imposed a jail term of seven years for the offences admitted by William, who will have to serve at least four years and eight months before he can be considered for release.

He will be released only if the Parole Board deem it is safe. The nature of William's sentence means he may never be released. He will be on the Sex Offender Register for life. A restraining order permanently bans him from having any contact with his victim.

William sat in silence throughout the hearing, speaking only to confirm his details and to thank the judge as the hearing ended. He showed no emotion at any point.

Following the hearing, Cumberland CID Detective Constable Chloe King, who investigated the case, said: “This was a terrifying incident for the victim and his family, and I hope today’s sentence brings them some closure.

“I would like to reassure our communities that incidents of this nature are extremely rare.”