July 2023

75-year-old Cumbrian man jailed for child sex offences

A 75-year-old man has been jailed for two child sex offences.

Geoffrey Restrick, of Whitehaven, was jailed for 29 months for attempting sexual communication with a child and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

Restrick was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same term.

Cumbria police’s cyber and digital crime unit and the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit arrested three other men this week after a joint operation.

Another of the suspects, who is already a registered sex offender following the commission of a similar offence previously, was charged with attempt sexual communication with a child as well as a breach of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He was remanded in custody following his arrest.

Two further suspects – a 43-year-old man from Cleator Moor and a 51-year-old man from Longtown – were arrested and released on conditional bail while investigations continue.

In each case, the defendants thought they were communicating with a young child, but it was actually an undercover police officer.