Liverpool paedophile sobs in court as victims deliver fierce rebuke and justice is served
Liverpool’s justice system delivered a harsh reckoning for Michael Hollywood, a 43-year-old paedophile whose horrific crimes have left a community shattered. Known previously as a ‘decent’ man from Bootle, Hollywood’s double life unravelled when a family member uncovered his vile collection of indecent images on his laptop. What followed was a chilling discovery of some 3,000 images and videos, including footage of him sexually assaulting a teenage girl, revealing a decade of appalling abuse.
In Liverpool Crown Court, Hollywood was forced to face the victims whose lives he devastated. As one brave survivor stared down the man responsible for her torment, she delivered a searing message that left the courtroom breathless: “You are not a monster, you are a coward.” Another victim’s mother described the abuser as “a predator and a coward,” speaking of the numb torment she endured watching her daughter suffer.
The court heard that Hollywood had tried desperately to regain control of his laptop when family members discovered it, but police intervened just in time to seize overwhelming evidence of his depravity. One complainant implored the judge, urging that Hollywood should never again have the chance to harm others.
Hollywood’s defence painted him as a man bitterly regretful of his dark obsession with children, but Judge Katherine Pierpoint was unimpressed by his tears. In a stern ruling, she condemned the appalling abuse, stating, “The sexual abuse of children has untold, devastating effects. She is a strong young woman. You took advantage of her in the worst possible way.”
Dressed in a prison jumper, Hollywood remained largely impassive as he received a nine-year prison sentence, with a substantial minimum term before parole can even be considered. His case serves as a grim warning that evil can hide behind the mask of normality, but the law will relentlessly pursue and punish those who exploit the vulnerable.
The courtroom drama was more than just a sentencing; it was a powerful moment of victims reclaiming their voice against the darkness that tried to silence them. Liverpool’s community stands reminded that predators like Hollywood will be hunted down and removed from society to protect future generations.
