Statement by CPS Mersey-Cheshire Crown Advocate and specially trained Rape and Serious Sexual Offences lawyer Sarah Egan on the sentencing of prolific paedophile William Woods
"Today (15 August 2025) marks the day that William Woods, one of the most prolific paedophiles that the Crown Prosecution Service in Merseyside and Cheshire has ever dealt with, has been brought to justice for the horrific sexual and violent crimes he committed against 8 children, over a period of 30 years.
"Woods has been sentenced to a total of 31 years imprisonment.
"This has been a long and difficult case - one that has been emotionally challenging at every level for all involved.
"The depravity of Woods’ behaviour, and what he put the victims through, knew no bounds. He groomed, manipulated, threatened, and bribed his way through their lives, satisfying his own perverse needs for sexual gratification, dominance, power and control.
"He subsequently lied and tried to avoid responsibility for his behaviour at every turn, culminating in the final trauma of pleading not guilty, and forcing the victims to endure a trial.
"He called them liars, that they were only after compensation and tried to paint himself as the victim throughout, even declaring himself an ‘easy target’, because he was already a convicted paedophile.
"Thankfully, the jury saw through his lies and found Woods guilty of 57 counts of sexual and violent behaviour. Today, he faced the consequences of his actions, and as a result, he will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.
"It was only in Woods’ probation interview, post-conviction, that he finally admitted to sexually abusing the victims, though he still denied having a sexual interest in children. He also denied physically abusing one of them. He expressed remorse and regret for his actions.
"Whilst these sentiments may serve as some form of vindication for the victims, the Crown Prosecution Service says this is too little, too late.
"There is no sentence that can ever recompense the victims, but we welcome the jail term that has been passed today in accordance with the Sentencing Council’s guidelines.
"It reflects the severe and heinous nature of Woods’ actions and hopefully will allow the victims to look to the future and bring some closure.
"Today belongs to those victims. Without their courage, determination, and patience, we would not be here. They should be immeasurably proud of themselves.
"Today is also the conclusion of 7 years investigatory and prosecution work by Cheshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service, culminating in nearly an 8 week-long trial.
"I would like to thank again the dedication and tenacity of the team that were involved with this case, including the Police team, other CPS staff who worked on the case, and Prosecution Counsel. Most importantly, I would like to extend my thanks to the 8 victims on this case.
"Let today serve as a reminder that no matter how much time has passed since the offending, this does not serve as a bar to the investigation and potential prosecution of sexual offending."
You can see a press release on the conviction of William Woods here:
Prolific paedophile convicted of abusing several children over three decades