Paula Lister, 55, of Creswell Street in St Helens, has been jailed for 14 years after allowing her partner to sexually abuse two young girls. She was found guilty by a jury of two counts of child cruelty following a trial.
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 as young as six. The 51-year-old's offences were said to have taken place over approximately two and a half years.
Video evidence and victim statements
Miller, also from St Helens, later pleaded guilty to a catalogue of offences after filming himself carrying out much of this abuse, with Lister appearing in the background in one video as one of the girls performed a sex act on her boyfriend. 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 second complainant also provided her own statement, saying: "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."
Mother's impact statement
The girl's mother then addressed Lister directly from the witness box, speaking to the now 55-year-old: "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."
"You almost stole that from us. You almost made us feel like we had failed her as parents. Those feelings are fleeting when I see the amazing young woman she has grown to become, despite what she went through. The strength and courage she has shown is immeasurable."
"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."
"The day I received that knock at the door from the police, our world fell apart. We no longer trust anyone, and how could we? Yet we navigated this in a bid to get justice for those two little girls."
"I have thought dark thoughts on far more occasions than I'd like to admit. I felt I'd let my children down and that they might even be better off without me. Despite those dark days, the courage she has shown to speak up in the way she has to reclaim her sense of self and childhood is nothing short of remarkable, and I burst with pride every single day."
"She will forever flourish in this world. You've taken nothing from us, and I won't allow you the satisfaction of a second to think you have. We have a very bright future ahead of us together, safe, full of love, while you're left dealing with the consequences of your choices."
"She will never be your victim. She's been instilled with strength and courage, and I'm privileged to see it daily. She's a warrior and a survivor with a beautiful future ahead of her. At last, we might now sleep sound at night, knowing justice has been served."
Defence and sentencing
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."
"In my submission, while this is a serious case of its kind, and maybe one of the most serious cases of its kind, it does not require an extended determinate sentence. Although it is a very serious offence of its kind that warrants substantial imprisonment, I would ask you to bear in mind the mitigation and documents provided."
Having been found guilty by a jury on two counts of child cruelty following a trial, Lister appeared 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 for 14 years.
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."
"You have no other criminal convictions or warnings. The sentence I impose today will be your first experience of custody. However, those factors are of little value when set against the seriousness of these offences."
"You too were subject to adverse childhood experiences and you have a number of health conditions, including COPD, sleep apnoea and PTSD. It has some but very limited value as mitigation."
"You have shown no remorse for your offending. I am satisfied that you were not coerced by Melvin Miller in any way."
At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Flewitt turned to address the complainants directly, stating: "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 ECHO previously reported that Miller's sexual abuse came to light when one of his two victims confided in a friend, who then told a teacher at her school. This led to police discovering the biggest collection of indecent images of children, numbering more than 250,000 in total, which one officer had encountered, including footage showing him raping the girls, with one disgusting clip having shown him offering one of the youngsters a doughnut and chocolate as a "bonus".
