A BRAIN-DAMAGED paedophile with an attraction to young girls could be back on the streets within months.

The Court of Appeal reduced David Swinscoe's indefinite prison sentence for sexual assaults on Runcorn girls to three years.

Swinscoe, 33, lured a teenage girl into his car by pretending to be a radio DJ. He committed the offence while on bail for another sex attack.

Now he could be set free next year. Swinscoe, of The Uplands, Runcorn, was given an indefinite sentence of

imprisonment for public protection (IPP) at Warrington Crown Court in November last year after he was convicted of sexual assault on a child under 13.

He told the girl he was a 21-year-old radio DJ who had been living in Greece.

He also pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child.

The IPP sentence, similar to a life term, meant Swinscoe could only ever hope to be released if he could per-

suade the Parole Board he posed no public danger.

But Lord Justice Moore-Bick, sitting with Mr Justice Grigson and Judge Moss QC at the Appeal Court in London, ruled it was not an appropriate case for an IPP and cut Swinscoe's sentence to a conventional three-year jail term.

The judge said the first incident happened in May 2005, when Graham molested an eight-year-old girl in a park. She reported the incident to the police and Swinscoe was charged with sexual assault.

The second incident occurred in

August 2005, when Swinscoe approached two 13-year-old girls in Run-corn, claiming to be a 21-year-old radio DJ who had been living in Greece. One of the girls got into his car and the pair kissed and met again the next day.

The Appeal Court heard Swinscoe suffered from a brain problem following a road accident that made it difficult for him to evaluate what was and was not appropriate behaviour.

Lord Justice Moore-Bick said that the indefinite sentence was 'inappropriate' in this case. simon.drury@cheshirenews.co.uk

'Significant risk' to young girls

JUDGE Merfyn Hughes ordered that David Swinscoe be locked up indefinitely to protect children.

He was only to be released when the Parole Board decided it was safe to do so.

The judge told him: 'I take the view that you are a significant risk of serious harm to members of the public, in particular young girls.'

A psychiatric report revealed Swinscoe had sexual desires towards young girls and there was also evidence of grooming skills with a view to progressing towards sexual contact.

He was described as a high-risk, predatory paedophile.

Swinscoe had been on bail awaiting trial for sexual assault on a girl of eight when he indecently assaulted a girl aged 13.

Now, thanks to the ruling by the Court of Appeal, he will be back on the streets within months.

Last May, Swinscoe was walking his dog in the Runcorn area when he saw two girls, aged eight, sitting on a wall singing songs.

He approached them, and spoke to one of the girls about her clothing and underwear before he

lifted her skirt and indecently assaulted her.

He denied the offence but was convicted at trial.

In the meantime - while on bail in August last year - he saw two 13-year-old girls while driving in Runcorn and approached them.

He pretended to be looking for another vehicle, got chatting to them and told them that he was a DJ.

The judge said Swinscoe had admitted he had a sexual attraction towards young girls.

A CT scan had taken place which confirmed that, following his

accident, Swinscoe had organic brain damage which reduced his ability to exercise proper judgement.

He was banned from ever working with children and must register with the police as a sex offender for life.

Swinscoe trained as a chef and lived and worked in Greece before he suffered head injuries in a motorbike accident in Crete.

After the accident, he had to learn basic skills from scratch.

He has worked with brain injury charity Headway Halton after volunteers helped him turn his life around.

Devastating effects of brain injury

PERVERT David Swinscoe spoke to the Weekly News about the brain injury which wrecked his life.

He revealed his anguish less than a year before he was arrested for sexually assaulting young girls.

The accident happened in Greece, where Swinscoe was working in the catering business.

Instead of celebrating the opening of his own restaurant, he suffered brain

damage in a bike crash and was in a coma for more than seven weeks.

Medical experts warned him to quit his dream profession and he had to relearn basic everyday life skills from scratch.

He said: 'I'm having to take every day as it comes since the accident and I was traumatised by the event so much, I found it almost impossible to remain in Greece.'

However, with the help of his family,

he returned to his roots in Runcorn and pledged to offer his full support to the charity and information clinic, Headway Halton.

Pulling his apron back on for the first time in years, Swinscoe rolled his sleeves up to offer Greek delicacies at an All Greek To Me night, held at Ditton Community Centre in Widnes.

The occasion marked the first social event to be launched by the charity.