Paula Lister, 55, of Creswell Street in St Helens, has been jailed for 14 years after allowing her paedophile partner to rape two young girls. Liverpool Crown Court heard on Monday afternoon that Lister was the partner of Melvin Miller, who was previously handed 16 years behind bars for sexually abusing two girls when they were aged as young as six. The 51-year-old's crimes were committed over the course of around two and a half years.
Abuse filmed by partner
Miller, also from St Helens, later pleaded guilty to a catalogue of offences after filming himself carrying out much of this abuse, with Lister seen in the background in one video as one of the girls performed a sex act on her boyfriend. Lister was found guilty of two counts of child cruelty by a jury following a trial. Appearing via video link to HMP Styal wearing a black top and glasses, she was seen shaking her head and with her hand covering her face before she was imprisoned.
Nicholas Williams, prosecuting, read a statement to the court on behalf of the two girls, with one having said: "As much as I work on myself, I believe I will never truly forget my trauma or fully forgive those who inflicted them upon me." The other complainant added in her own statement: "Paula has destroyed my trust in anyone, and she's ruined my childhood. I think Paula is a disgusting person and I hope she gets the punishment she deserves, as she's ruined my life."
Victim's mother speaks out
One girl's mother addressed Lister from the witness box, telling her: "This is probably one of the hardest things I've ever written. This is therapy for a trauma two little girls were subjected to at the hands of you and your partner and has since impacted on so many people. It's safe to say we will all be left with the scars of this for the rest of our days. I can't begin to imagine the impact on the other little girl. [My daughter] is our absolute world. Our only job was to love and protect her from bad things in the world, like you and your partner."
She continued: "You're a monster in its truest form, evil to the core, a predator and cruel. You snatched away part of two little girls' childhoods and innocence, which they can never get back. You've shown no remorse for your actions. The tears you've shed in court were not for either of the girls, but for yourself. You cried for you, not what happened to those girls [...] not one word for the trauma they suffered at the hands of your partner."
Judge's sentencing remarks
Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: "That abuse took place over a period of approximately two-and-a-half years. Much of that sexual abuse was video recorded by Melvin Miller. In one of those videos, you can be seen in the background while [abuse was taking place]." The judge added: "I cannot imagine a worse case of child cruelty. Whatever the reason, what you did was inexcusable and has caused terrible harm to both of your victims. I have no doubt that both girls have suffered serious psychological, developmental and emotional harm."
Lister has no previous convictions. Paul Becker, defending, told the court: "Following convictions by a jury, there is a limit to what I can usefully say on behalf of the defendant. This will be her first time in custody. Your honour heard during the trial the poor health that the defendant suffers from." Judge Flewitt noted Lister's health conditions, including COPD, sleep apnoea and PTSD, but said they had "some but very limited value as mitigation". He told the complainants: "I want to acknowledge the courage, strength and resilience of [the victims] to speak about the terrible things that happened to you. I also want to pay tribute to the police officers involved in this investigation. They should be proud of their work. It was that work that brought Paula Lister to justice."
The abuse came to light when one of Miller's victims confided in a friend, who then told a teacher at her school. This led to police discovering more than 250,000 indecent images of children, including footage showing him raping the girls, with one clip showing him offering one of the youngsters a doughnut and chocolate as a "bonus".
