A Warrington gymnastics coach is charged with six offences involving indecent images of children. He is bailed to Chester Crown Court on 7 October.

A gymnastics coach in Warrington has been charged with six offences involving indecent images of children, Cheshire Constabulary has said.

The force published a statement on Friday 11 September saying the charges follow an investigation by its Online Child Abuse Investigation Team.

Paul Plumpton was arrested on Tuesday 8 September. The force says the 71-year-old, of Warrington, has since been charged with:

  • three counts of making indecent images of children
  • two counts of distributing indecent images of children
  • one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child

Plumpton appeared at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 9 September, where he was bailed to next appear at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday 7 October.

Why this report is short

Those are all the facts Cheshire Constabulary has put on the record, and the case is now before the courts. Criminal proceedings are active from the moment a person is charged, so nothing beyond the force’s own statement can responsibly be published: not the name of any club, not any account of what is alleged to have happened, and no comment on guilt or innocence. A charge is an allegation and nothing more until a court decides it.

We will report the outcome of the case when there is one, from the record rather than from rumour. Our reporting standards set out why we hold to official statements on stories like this one.

What it means for you

Cheshire Constabulary has asked anyone with concerns to come forward.

  • Call 101 or use the force’s online reporting form, quoting the reference IML 2415301
  • In an emergency, or if a child is in immediate danger, call 999

If you want to talk to someone outside the police, the NSPCC helpline takes calls from adults worried about a child on 0808 800 5000, or by email at help@nspcc.org.uk. Children and young people can contact Childline free on 0800 1111.