Stephen McLoughlin has now been found guilty at Bolton Crown Court
Ben Haslam Senior reporter and Benjamin Blosse
21:33, 23 Feb 2026
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A man who stabbed himself in the neck in the car park of a Merseyside police station has been found guilty of child sexual offences following a trial. Stephen McLoughlin was rushed to hospital after he stabbed himself directly outside Kirkby Police Station on St Chad’s Drive at around 5pm on Friday, August 26, 2022.
Almost four years on from the incident, which was captured in a distressing video and shared online, McLoughlin appeared at Bolton Crown Court where he faced a six-day trial charged with attempting to meet girl under 16 following grooming, attempting to cause or engage a girl aged 13-15 in sexual activity, two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
He was found guilty of all charges by a jury. The 59 year old, of Pitsmead Road, Kirkby, will be sentenced on April 2 at the same court, reports the Liverpool Echo.
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
At the time of the incident an extensive cordon was established outside the police station. The man was recorded stabbing himself as well as being pushed into bushes outside the station.
The ECHO reported at the time how his injuries were described by police as serious, with him being in a stable condition when he was taken from the scene.