Richard Mawdsley Burnley

Richard Mawdsley, a 52-year-old man from Heather Bank, Burnley, UK, has been convicted and sentenced for a range of sexual offenses against a child. The investigation began in December 2020 after an allegation of rape was made by a teenage girl. During police inquiries, indecent images and evidence of searches for child pornography sites were discovered on Mawdsley's phone, including images taken by hidden cameras.

Mawdsley was charged following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service. He pleaded guilty to eight offenses but denied others. Following a trial, a jury found him guilty of an additional 12 offenses. In total, he was convicted of:

• Four counts of sexual activity with a child.
• Four counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.
• Two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.
• Three counts of voyeurism.
• Seven counts of making an indecent image of a child.

He was sentenced at Preston Crown Court on June 24, 2026. The sentence comprised eight years and six months in prison, with a further four years on extended license, totaling a 12-and-a-half-year sentence. Additionally, Mawdsley was given a 25-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and an indefinite restraining order. Earlier court appearances included a trial set for March 9, 2026, after he denied 28 charges at Burnley Crown Court on January 20, 2025, when he was 51 years old.

It is important to note that other individuals named Richard Mawdsley have also appeared in UK courts for criminal matters. One Richard Mawdsley was sentenced to five years in prison in Chelmsford in December 2015 for sexual abuse against a five-year-old girl. Another, Richard Thomas Mawdsley, aged 19, from Bury, admitted to assaulting a college security guard in June 2005. However, the detailed summary above pertains specifically to Richard Mawdsley from Burnley, as requested.