A paedophile, serving an indefinite sentence for molesting and raping a string of young boys, has heard from top judges that he remains a public danger.
Ashley James William Gilheaney, of Hood Street, Accrington, was initially jailed for eight years over “horrendous” sex attacks on youngsters in 2010.
Then, while behind bars and undergoing a sex offender’s treatment programme, he made further shocking revelations.
Gilheaney, 26, confessed that he had raped or committed sex attacks on another three boys.
In December 2011, he pleaded guilty to two counts of raping a child under 13 and four other sex offences against the youngsters.
He was put behind bars indefinitely for public protection at Preston Crown Court in February 2012.
The sentence is almost identical to a life term and means Gilheaney will only be freed once the Parole Board is convinced he is no longer dangerous.
Today he asked three senior judges at London’s Criminal Appeal Court to overturn the open-ended sentence.
His lawyers pointed to his voluntary confession and guilty pleas.
He had shown a great deal of remorse and had wrongly been condemned as a “dangerous” offender, they argued.
But Mr Justice Wilkie said: “The mere fact he saw fit to make these revelations himself didn’t necessarily mean that he was no longer dangerous.
“Although a great deal of progress has been made, there is still a great deal to be done before the level of risk he poses to the public can be significantly reduced so that he is no longer deemed dangerous”.
The judge, sitting with Lord Justice McCombe and Judge Peter Rook QC, concluded: “This application is refused.”
