Latest Offenders Durham

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Thomas Lock, 32, carried out the disgusting act with the aid of a cuddly toy in front of a child

A County Durham pervert who carried out a sex act involving a "cuddly toy" in front of a child has been put behind bars.

Thomas Lock carried out the disgusting act with the aid of a cuddly toy in front of a child. The 32-year-old told the child he was carrying out a "naughty game" and denied everything when arrested.

Lock was sentenced at Durham Crown Court on Thursday for engaging in a sexual act in the presence of a child. He continues to deny the offence but was found guilty by a jury after a trial.

Nick Adlington, prosecuting, said Lock - who appeared at the court via link from HMP Durham - carried out the sex act and involved a "cuddly toy" whilst in the presence of a child.

Mark Styles, defending, said Lock had no previous convictions and still does not accept the verdict of the jury. He said: "This is a difficult time for the defendant as he's never lost his liberty before. It came at a time in the wake of the death of his father, which had been anticipated. It was very difficult for him."

Mr Styles added: "He's got a good work record and was only unemployed for a limited period of time whilst awaiting trial in this matter. He's attempting to use his time in custody wisely and understands the significant impact this has had."

Sentencing Lock, Judge Jo Kidd said: "You were convicted by a jury and maintain you are not guilty. This was a deeply troubling incident, potentially foreshadowing further sexual offences, and was used in a manipulative way by using a toy to normalise your sexual activity. You called it a naughty game."

Lock, of High Etherley, near Bishop Auckland, was jailed for 30 months and will be on the sex offender's register indefinitely. An indefinite sexual harm prevention order was also imposed.

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An “immature” teenager, who groomed two girls before committing sexual offences on both, has received an eight-year prison sentence.

Ellis Henderson was sentenced today (Monday February 6) after being convicted last month of two charges of rape of a child under 13, one count of sexual assault of a child under 13 and two counts of sexual activity with a child.

The now 20-year-old defendant, of Paxton Close, Newton Aycliffe, denied the charges but was found guilty following a trial which spanned the Christmas/New Year break, at Durham Crown Court.

The sentence was adjourned to allow for preparation of a Probation Service background report on Henderson, who is said to remain in denial.

The court heard he made initial contact with both of his victims by parking his vehicle in a car park where children frequented.

Having engaged them in conversation, he would later encourage them to get into the vehicle before driving them to secluded areas and forcing them to engage in sexual activity.

Prosecution counsel, Shaun Dodds, told today’s sentencing hearing one of the girls opted against giving a victim statement, but had said in her original evidential statement to police that she felt so upset at what took place that she sought counselling sessions.

She also felt as if it was her fault for meeting him and she wished she had known better, but also spoke of her hatred of the defendant.

The other girl spoke of “feeling in a dark place” and she, also, wishes she had never met him.

She said she was accused of being a liar after the allegations were made and has also been attacked for reporting it to the police.

The girl said she has since self-harmed, while she has also deliberately cut herself off from her friends.

She said she feels as if Henderson “manipulated” her and it has affected her general trust in people.

Chris Baker, for Henderson, said at the time of the offences he was just short of his 18th birthday and was referred to, in the probation pre-sentence report, as being, “an immature, naïve and vulnerable young man”, despite now having turned 20.

Mr Baker said the defendant has no previous convictions and is particularly “vulnerable” in a custodial environment, having been assaulted twice while on remand.

But he added that he has remained in denial of the offences.

Judge James Adkin told Henderson, however: “You must now be sentenced for a number of serious sexual offences of which the jury found you guilty.”

The judge said there was some planning, taking the girls to isolated areas to commit the offences following, “an element of grooming.”

Imposing the eight-year sentence, Judge Adkin told Henderson he will have to serve two-thirds before he will be released on licence.

He told him the sentence would have been 13 years had he been older when the offences were committed.

Henderson will be subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting either victim, both for 12 years.

He will also be liable to registration as a sex offender for life.

Speaking after today’s sentencing hearing, Jonathan Hanratty, of the Crown Prosecution Service North East’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Uv6nit, said: “Ellis Henderson acted in a predatory manner to carry out these offences against girls he knew to be well under the age of consent.

“He actively engaged both girls in conversation, slowly building their trust in him before exploiting them for his own selfish gratification.

“The Crown Prosecution Service has used the credible accounts bravely provided by both young victims to build a robust case against Ellis Henderson.”

He added: “I sincerely hope that today’s sentence against him provides them both with some measure of comfort.”

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A prolific sex offender, who has a long history of abusing young boys and girls, is back in prison after giving lifts to a three-year-old girl.

Lee Archer, 59, was living in the community under a sexual harm prevention order, when he befriended a grandmother who visited his sheltered accommodation in Stockton to visit her brother.

Teesside Crown Court heard that Archer and the woman got to know each other further and at one point told her he "hated children". Within months, he was visiting her at her home and did jobs for her.

The court heard that the woman's brother had agreed to give Archer 800 so he could buy a car. The brother would tax and insure it, and Archer would give him lifts to wherever he wanted to go.

But by September 2022, Archer was driving the grandmother, her brother and her three-year-old grandchild to Morrisons on Teesside Park. The court heard that he saw the child on four occasions, and played catch with her.

Police visited the woman in December and told her that Archer is a sex offender. His licence conditions ban him from contacting or communicating with any child under the age of 16.

Ms Haigh said that the woman was "shocked, and angry with herself for putting her granddaughter at risk."

Archer pleaded guilty to breaching his sexual harm prevention order. He started sexually abusing children in 1989. In 2011, he was jailed for sexual activity with a young girl and indecently assaulting a boy.

By 2016, Archer had sexually assaulted another boy, who was under 13. He was jailed for a further two years in 2020, for breaching his sexual harm prevention order. On that occasion he had befriended a family he met at his allotment. He said that their daughter was a "little heartbreaker" and the police found photos of her on his phone, which he had taken from Facebook.

In mitigation, the court heard that Archer had not known initially that the woman would bring her granddaughter with her for a lift. He said that he was never left unsupervised with the child.

Judge Timothy Stead told him: "It's quite clear that you are an incorrigible sex offender towards children. You befriended a woman - if she'd known about your past, I doubt she would have given you the time of day, let alone befriended you. These breaches created a risk of very serious harm."

Archer was jailed for two-years-and-eight-months.

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A man jailed for amassing almost 60,000 indecent images of children in 2015 is back behind bars following the discovery of further illicit photos.

Mark Flack appeared at Durham Crown Court by video link from the city’s nearby prison, where he is on remand, after his arrest following police visits to his home, in Horden, in October and, again, in December.

The 57-year-old defendant, of Fifth Street, admitted three counts of making (downloading) indecent images of a child, offences dating between November 7, 2016, and the day of the first police raid in October, last year.

Chris Baker, prosecuting, said the latest charges relate to 260 indecent images, four in the most serious category, found on devices seized in that first police visit to his home.

The court heard the defendant has also already admitted six breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) put in place following his 2015 conviction, at Ipswich Crown Court, when he received a 21-month prison sentence.

That case involved a total of 58,493 indecent child images which were found on various electronic devices removed by police from Flack's former home, in Red Lodge, Suffolk, in October 2014.

But sentence in the latest case has been delayed as police returned to his address in Horden, in December, and recovered a computer hard drive, the contents of which are yet to be examined.

Mr Baker told the hearing: “Further work is being done by police in relation to that hard drive.

“The question will be as to the creation dates of any further images found on that seized hard drive.”

Robert Mochrie, for Flack, said: “It seems a device was missed in that inquiry (in October) and its been used again.

“He’s pleaded guilty to the latest charge. He has only one previous conviction for which he went straight to prison in 2015.”

Mr Mochrie said his client has, therefore, never had the benefit of any probation intervention to address his behaviour.

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A sex offender shared indecent images of children with other paedophiles using Play Station devices in breach of his registration requirements.

Durham Crown Court was told police executed a search warrant at David Roberts’ home in Peterlee, in October, having received information he may have been involved in sexual communication with a child.

Christopher Bevan, prosecuting, said although police have since confirmed they are not pursuing the alleged sexual communication matters, officers located several devices, including a number of Play Stations, plus bank cards, in a search of Roberts’ home.

Mr Bevan said one of the bank cards was in the name of an alias not registered with the police, putting Roberts in breach of his sex offenders’ registration requirements.

Roberts also used aliases on the Play Stations, none of which he registered with the police.

Analysis of the contents of the Play Stations revealed 281 indecent images of children, 70 in the most serious category, plus 39 others classed as prohibited images.

Mr Bevan said it emerged Roberts had used the alias 'Sandy Sorebottom' to communicate in, “a sexually unpleasant way” with one user and discussing children with another, conversations initiated by him between July 11 and October 14, last year.

Some of the indecent and prohibited images were sent to that profile.

When interviewed, Roberts largely gave “no comment” replies to police, but he did concede the use of the alias to acquire the bank card constituted an offence.

The 50-year-old defendant, of Stafford Place, Peterlee, admitted three charges of possessing indecent images of children, one of possessing prohibited images of children, two counts of failing to comply with registration requirements as a sex offender and one of distribution of an indecent photo of a child.

Mr Bevan said the defendant has five convictions for 16 previous offences, five of them of a sexual nature.

The last of those was in 2005 for which he received jail sentences totalling 84 months for offences of sexual activity with a child and taking indecent photographs of a child.

He was also made subject of indefinite notification requirements as a sex offender when sentenced.

Shada Mellor, in mitigation, said it had to be acknowledged his past conviction aggravated the sentence Roberts would receive.

Miss Mellor said the bank card which breached the notification requirements was in the name of Roberts’ now late mother, over whom he had power of attorney, and which he had failed to register with the police.

“He understands he should have registered that but his intention in having it was merely to go to the shops to buy groceries for himself and his mother, who died very recently.

“He understands, given his previous convictions, as well as the offences he falls to be sentenced for, that a custodial sentence is inevitable in this case.

“The previous offence was in 2005, and this is his first offence in 17 years.

“After the 2005 sentence he did make attempts to rehabilitate himself, passing his driving test and being involved in a relationship with an adult female from 2012 to 2016.

“But six or seven years ago he became full-time carer for his mother, who had dementia and who, unfortunately, passed away on December 28.”

Miss Mellor said the emotional distress, isolation and strain all contributed to him committing the latest offences.

She added that he hopes, in due course, to be able to address his behaviour.

Judge Jo Kidd said she has seen descriptions of the images shared by the defendant, including the rape of children as young as three, while the use of the Play Station platform to communicate with like-minded individuals, “significantly aggravated” his position.

She said despite his past conviction, the defendant appeared to have maintained his sexual interest in children.

Imposing a 32-month prison sentence, she said the existing indefinite requirement to register as a sex offender would remain in place.

She also adjourned for inquiries as to the further prohibitions she could put in place under the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A man who was jailed for sex offences has been returned to prison after giving sweets to children in County Durham.

Kenneth Pybus, aged 75, is banned from having unsupervised contact with children following a conviction in 2019 for carrying out child sexual offences.

Durham Crown Court heard how Pybus had been handed a five year sentence for the crimes by Norwich Crown Court in November 2019. He was later released from prison on licence in February 2022, when he moved to Sacriston and was monitored by police.

However, the court heard how Pybus had begun speaking to children in the area and giving them sweets and dog treats so as to "establish relationships."

When police became aware, he was arrested and recalled to prison.

Pybus pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and was handed a 14 month sentence.

In sentencing, Recorder Edward Legard described Pybus' behaviour as "classic grooming techniques".

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A postman who groomed a teenage girl and indecently assaulted her in the early 2000s has been jailed.

Colin White carried out the sexual offences on an underage girl around 20 years ago and left her battling depression and feelings of guilt. The 60-year-old would ply the child with alcohol and provide her with cigarettes before using her for sex, Durham Crown Court heard.

White, of Newton Aycliffe, appeared at the court on Wednesday via link from HMP Durham to be sentenced for two counts of indecent assault. He had been convicted of the offences following a trial at the court last week.

Chris Baker, prosecuting, told the court White carried out the offences on a teenage girl, saying: "He would ply her with alcohol before the behaviour took place." The court heard that White displayed kindness to the vulnerable girl whilst grooming her, and at one stage she made an attempt on her own life.

The court was told that the offences took place at times when the child would turn up to White's home while "truanting". In a victim statement, the now-adult victim said she felt she was in the wrong and that she was at fault in some way, saying: "He essentially groomed me for his own sexual gratification." She added she ended up on anti-depressants throughout her adult life.

Robert Mochrie, defending, said White had no relevant previous convictions, had "worked all his life" and is currently going through his "own difficulties" in supporting members of his family. He added: "The offences were 20 years ago and he has not harmed anyone since."

Sentencing White, Judge James Adkin said he was working as a postman at the time of the offences and used the child for sex. He added: "She was particularly vulnerable by age and isolation." White was jailed for seven years and will be on the sex offender's register for life. An indefinite restraining order was also imposed.

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Michael Dent and Jack Dent-Bradley left their victim "living a life of hell" and suffering depression as the pair were sentenced for their crimes at Durham Crown Court

A father and son have been jailed for carrying out horrendous sexual abuse of a vulnerable child.

Michael Dent, 37, and Jack Dent-Bradley, 19, have both been put behind bars following their trial at Durham Crown Court.

The relatives separately sexually abused the child and their crimes left the victim battling PTSD and depression in later life.

Sentencing the pair, Judge James Adkin handed Michael Dent an extended prison sentence of 14 years, 13 of which will be custodial.

An indefinite restraining order and indefinite sexual harm prevention order were also imposed and he will be on the sex offender's register indefinitely.

Sentencing Dent-Bradley, who carried out his offences when he was a child himself, Judge Adkin said his offences were "extremely cruel, persistent and damaging", and jailed him for 66 months.

He was also made subject of an indefinite restraining order and indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will be on the sex offender's register indefinitely.

Dent-Bradley carried out his offences when he was between the ages of 10 and 14-years-old, the court heard.

The court was told the father and son, both of Witton Gilbert, County Durham, carried out sexual offences against the same child, but separately.

Liam O'Brien, prosecuting, said: "Each defendant took advantage by abusing [the child] sexually, albeit separately from one another."

An impact statement was read out to the court by the now-adult victim, and explained how they had "suffered for so long" and will "never forgive you both".

The victim added: "You took advantage of me and made my life hell."

Tony Davis, defending Dent-Bradley, said he suffers from ADHD and was a child himself when he carried out the offences, saying he suffered "significant neglect" as a child himself and had a "lack of care in early development".

He added: "He is still an immature 19-year-old, which must be the result of early abuse he suffered...he has had an exceptional amount of trauma in his own existence."

Lewis Kerr, defending Michael Dent, said he has mental health issues, ADHD and a low IQ. He added: "He doesn't have anything in way of mitigation in the credible sense.

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A violent sexual predator pretended he was homeless before trying to drag a woman off a street late at night.

Joseph Holmes has been locked up for 10 years, as a court heard that his latest attack was the second time he has targeted a lone woman, walking through a city centre.

Holmes, 51, sat with a sleeping bag draped over him on Darlington's Duke Street in the early hours of December 18, last year. Police later found CCTV footage showing him following one woman - who managed to get away.

Holmes then sat and waited for another woman to walk past on her own. When he spotted a lone female - he followed her.

Prosecutor Sam Faulks has told Teesside Crown Court that when the woman crossed the street to get away, Holmes crossed the street too.

The woman then crossed back to the other side, and Holmes did too. He then got hold of his victim "and tried to drag her onto Raby Terrace where it is more secluded". 

A judge found that Holmes had intended to sexually assault the woman, but that his attack was stopped after a man saw him trying to drag her into a back alley and intervened.

Holmes, of Finkle Street in Bishop Auckland, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault and assault on the day his trial was due to start - having previously denied the charges. The court heard that he has 111 previous convictions for 205 offences, including a similar attack where he dragged a woman to the floor in Durham city centre in 2017.

Holmes put his hand up the woman's skirt and sexually assaulted her. He was jailed for four years.

In an emotional statement, Holmes' latest victim - who is in her 30's - said she had problems with sleep and nightmares since the attack.

She said: "I wake up screaming due to the incident. I feel sad all of the time. I have severe panic attacks and I have been binge drinking to block out the memories of that night. I feel scared to be alone or go out in the dark. At times I have contemplated suicide."

Robert Mochrie, defending, said his client had not planned the attack, but that it was "opportunistic, whilst he was drunk.

"This is a man with significant problems himself," Mr Mochrie continued. "He is an alcoholic. He has related dementia caused by lack of vitamin B1."

Judge Benjamin Nolan told Holmes that he was "entirely satisfied, with your previous record, that you intended to sexually assault her. In your case, you pose a high risk for sexual assault and violence."

The judge categorised Holmes as a "dangerous offender" and jailed him for 10 years. He will sign the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life.

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A convicted sex offender has been jailed after he started a relationship with a woman in York and failed to tell her about his previous convictions.

Michael Harris went under the radar for more than ten months after he hooked up with the unsuspecting woman, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The 48-year-old, formerly known as Michael Eddy, was found to have also failed to register two aliases, a bank account and a credit card with the police.

Jonathan Gittins, prosecuting, said the defendant used the online aliases Mikey J 1974 and Michael John between January 1 and November 2 this year to strike up his relationship before spending all of his time in York.

He said: “He didn’t reveal his conviction to her and she was shocked when she was contacted by the police. She had taken him to the homes of friends and family.”

Michael Harris, formerly known as Michael Eddy (Image: Cleveland Police)

Harris, of Fincham Close, Stockton, was a registered sex offender since his conviction for sexual activity with an underage girl in 2011.

He was jailed in 2013 and 2018 for previous breaches of his notification requirements.

The defendant pleaded guilty to all five breaches of his notification requirement order between January 1 and November 2 this year.

Andrew Turton, mitigating, said his client wanted to settle down with the woman and told the judge that no children were living at the house.

He added: “The meeting with other family happened on one occasion and he was never unsupervised at any time. There were no issues raised as a result of that happening.

“He did change his name by deed poll and that was registered with the police.”

Locking Harris up for 32-months, Judge Jonathan Carroll said: “The purpose of the notification requirements is to allow the appropriate authorities to manage the risk that you continue to pose and its quite clear, both by the original offence and continuing breaches and past convictions for breaches and this group of offences, that you are a continuing risk.

“You went under the radar again for a significant amount of time for these offences. The police attempted to visit you trying to carry out periodic checks and there were 12 failed visits.”

Harris was also issued with an indefinite restraining order to protect the woman.

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A County Durham sex offender has been hauled back to court after police found out he'd been deleting his internet history.

Trent Jason Johnson was given a suspended sentence in March last year after being convicted of sex offences and was made subject of a sexual harm prevention order and was put on the sex offenders register. As part of his punishment, the 22-year-old must abide by certain conditions and he is banned from deleting his internet history.

But on November 8 this year, police went to Johnson's Bishop Auckland home and seized his iPhone where examinations found he'd deleted his internet history and had created aliases on chat apps but failed to notify the authorities about them. He was then arrested over the breach.

Johnson, of South View, Bishop Auckland, appeared at Durham Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced for breaching a sexual harm prevention order and breaching notification requirements. He had pleaded guilty to the charges.

David Robinson-Young, prosecuting, said Johnson is a registered sex offender and on November 8, police went to his home. He said: "On entering his bedroom the defendant was in bed and they saw a lead going under the pillow. They pulled the lead and retrieved an iPhone and the Yubo app was displaying as live. The phone was seized and he was arrested."

Johnson's phone was examined and it became "clear" to police that he had been accessing sites, despite the device's internet having no history. Johnson is prohibited from using a device capable of accessing the internet unless it can show the history, the court heard.

Mr Robinson-Young told the court that Johnson admitted deleting his internet search history, saying: "He said he felt embarrassed about his porn searches." Johnson also admitted creating usernames on the Yubo chat app, including Memphis21, but failed to disclose them to police.

The court heard that the incident was Johnson's second breach of his order, with 18 months of his suspended sentence being activated in September last year after a breach last August. He appeared at the court via link from HMP Durham.

Stephen Constantine, defending, said: "The only mitigation are his guilty pleas entered in the magistrates'. In police interview he was assisted by an appropriate adult and at the age of 14 he was diagnosed with learning difficulties." Mr Constantine added that Johnson was engaging with mental health organisations and shows "some degree of immaturity".

Sentencing Johnson, Recorder Ian Mullarkey said it was "serious offending" and handed him an 18 month prison sentence.

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Described as a "predatory paedophile", David Spence indecently assaulted three children in the 1980s and 1990s in the Spennymoor area.

His sickening crimes left his victims - who are now adults - battling mental health issues and Spence managed to avoid the consequences of his offences for decades.

After the 67-year-old's crimes were brought to the attention of the police for a second time, he continued to deny the allegations until he finally pleaded guilty on the day his trial was due to take place.

In a victim impact statement, one victim told the court that they have suffered with "low self-esteem" and "night-terrors" throughout their adult life as a result of what Spence did to them.

They regularly have "full blown panic attacks" and "struggle with paranoia", they said in the statement.

Spence, was jailed for 10 and a half years with a 12-month extended licence and he was also made subject of a restraining order, which will run until further order.

He was also made subject of a sexual harm prevention order, which will remain in place until further order and he was put on the sex offenders' register.

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Ashley Reeves was found to be using a number of names on games platform Steam - but his solicitor said it was just 'stupidity'

A high risk sex offender was found to be using a number of aliases on a games platform, a court heard.

Ashley Reeves was using the false usernames, including 'lesbian w**** house and 'eat my gas', when police inspected his computer during a routine check.

The Stockton man pleaded guilty to breaching a requirement of the sex offenders register when he appeared before Teesside Magistrates' Court.

Anne Mitchell, prosecuting, said the 27-year-old, who has 28 previous convictions, 13 of which are for sexual offences, is on the high risk sex offenders register and as part of his conditions he is not allowed to use aliases online and officers can regularly assess the situation.

Ms Mitchell said in April this year when carrying out an assessment officers found a number of aliases associated with Reeves' Steam account, which is a gaming platform. She said: "There were a number of alias names attached to the account."

The prosecutor said Reeves lives with his partner and she told police that she didn't use the computer and didn't have a Steam account.

Defending, Brett Wildridge, said his client has autism and conduct disorder and used the Steam account to purchase games. He said the account itself is registered with the police and his client didn't believe anyone else could see the profile names.

Mr Wildridge said Reeves, of Consett Close, wasn't trying to conceal his identity, it was just 'stupidity'. He said: "It was stupid using them. It is a child's mind in an adult body."

The case was adjourned until November 30 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

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A man who agreed to give a schoolgirl a lift home from a party, pulled over into a dark side street and sexually assaulted her before raping her twice.

Mark Alderson then messaged the girl's mum to say that she was refusing to leave his car because she was so upset after other school children had called her "fat." But Teesside Crown Court has heard that when the 37-year-old dropped the victim off at home, she ran in crying and told her family what had happened.

Her dad called the police, and Alderson was arrested a few hours later. Alderson told police that the girl had instigated what had happened and that they had consensual sex.

On Friday, prosecutor Christine Egerton told the court that Alderson had previously given the schoolgirl cigarettes, a necklace and a bracelet. When she had become upset about being taunted, he told her she was, "pretty".

But after asking, "to see her belly" when she said she had been called fat, Alderson sexually assaulted her. He then pulled her clothes off whilst she sat in the passenger seat of his car, and raped her.

Ms Egerton said that the girl told police that she was "drunk" that night and that Alderson warned her not to tell anyone what had happened. In a statement, the victim said that her mental health had suffered as a result of what happened to her: "I have bad dreams and flash backs.

"I can't sleep or concentrate on my school work and I'm worried about my grades slipping. I feel angry and upset." Alderson, of Davidson Road in Darlington, pleaded guilty to sexual assault and to two charges of rape.

Nicholas Askins, defending, said that his client had pleaded guilty, "which is very unusual in these types of offences. He has also expressed significant remorse."

Mr Askins said that his client had lost his partner of 17 years, and his two children and " is not coping well in prison." Judge Howard Crowson jailed Askins for nine years and nine months and made him subject to a sexual harm prevention order, which prohibits him from having contact with any child under 16, for the rest of his life.

He was also made the subject of a restraining order, preventing him from contacting the victim for the rest of his life.

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The prolific offender has repeatedly breached sex offender notification requirements since 2004.

A sex offender told police he was staying at a youth hostel due to his pigeon allergy flaring up at his address.

Robert Jeffrey, previously of Darlington, has repeatedly appeared before the courts for failing to comply with sex offender requirements. He was handed a lengthy jail sentence on Tuesday after entering guilty pleas to five charges of failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements, failing to comply with a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and forging a vehicle registration mark.

At a sentencing hearing, Teesside Crown Court heard his crimes came to light in June when police raised concerns about Jeffrey's whereabouts and made several visits to his registered address.

Christopher Bevan prosecuting said: "The place appeared deserted and police carried out further investigations and were able to ascertain he was staying in a youth hostel in Richmond. Later, the police located the defendant staying in a tent in a secluded part of the grounds at another youth hostel in Northallerton where they arrested him."

The court heard the defendant had used black tape to make an 'E' on his car registration to avoid being tracked. Officers also seized a Samsung tablet which had several non-registered email accounts and a picture of a girl believed to be under 18. Mr Bevan said the image appeared to have been taken from a covert angle.

Asked why he was not at his registered address, Mr Bevan said: "He stated he is allergic to pigeons and could no longer stay at his address. He said he chose to stay at youth hostels because they are cheap."

The court heard the defendant payed for the stays with two bank accounts which were not registered with police.

However in mitigation, Jamie Adams stressed Jeffrey's sexual offending has been non contact and claimed he was forced to leave his address due to allergies, Mr Adams said: "He tells me the reason he left the premises was the reason he gave to the police he became ill because of the faeces of pigeons in the area. He complained about it to the landlord on numerous occasions and nothing was done about it. He headed out of the area to try and recuperate.

"He hopes in the future he can become a normal member of society and can engage with society."

During the hearing, Mr Bevan listed Jeffrey's previous crimes, they are as follows:

• The defendant was first convicted in Stroud in February 2004 for 10 offences of possessing indecent photographs of children. In the December of that year he was convicted again of failing to adhere to sex offender requirements.
• In January 2006, he failed to comply with requirements and was convicted in 2007 after attempting to meet or communicate with a child following sexual grooming.
• In June 2011, he was convicted at Shrewsbury for failing to comply with requirements, possession of an indecent image and breach of a SHPO.
• In October 2013, he was convicted of failing to comply with notification requirements and breaching a SHPO.
• In 2015, Jeffrey was sentenced in Shropshire for failing to comply with notification requirements and again in August 2018.
• In December 2019, he was sentenced before magistrates in Newton Aycliffe for failing to comply with notification requirements and in 2020 he was committed to Teesside Crown Court for further failings and was sentenced to two-years imprisonment.

Sentencing the defendant, Judge Jonathan Carroll said: "You have significant previous convictions. There are multiple and repeated failures to comply with notification requirements. You have persistently and relentlessly refused to cooperate with the orders that are in place that are primarily for public protection."

Jeffrey, 54, of no fixed address, was handed a 40-month prison sentence and banned from driving for 38 months. He must also pay a victim surcharge.