Aaron Kitney 34

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A CONVICTED sex offender has avoided jail for a second time after being caught living with a 17-month-old baby despite a court order.

Aaron Kitney, 34, was first jailed in 2019 for having sex with a 15-year-old which he claimed was a ‘consensual’ relationship at the time.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual activity with a child and was jailed for eight years and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). He was released on licence in March 2022.

Kitney later moved in with a 21-year-old mum who had a 17-month-old boy. Kitney was obliged to tell the mum and the local childcare services about living with a child under 16 but failed to do so.

He was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday (February 22) for breaching the order.

Sentencing him to a 12 month prison sentence, suspended for two years, Judge Michael Gledhill said: “No one thinks you have an inappropriate interest in young male children but it was covered in the SHPO.

“If you had just told the mother and the child support services about the SHPO the likelihood is they would have said, ‘He isn’t interested in a young 17-month-old boy, let’s gets in touch with your solicitor and vary the order’.

“But you brought this all on yourself.”

The court heard that Kitney, of Gaveston Road, Didcot, had told the mum-of-one about his previous convictions but had not informed her of the conditions of his SHPO.

After hearing about her new partner, the mum’s own parents became concerned and researched Kitney.

Upon finding out about his previous convictions, her parents called the police and he has been in custody for about six months.

Kitney did have other accommodation at the time, after living homeless in a tent for about four months, but upon arrest, most of his items including clothes were found at her home.

Defending Kitney, barrister Gordana Austen said that Kitney worked as a groundworker six days a week and as a cleaning five days a week in the evenings.

“So he did try to keep himself busy,” she said.

Concluding the case, Judge Gledhill said: “It’s your own stupid fault. Just keep yourself to yourself. Learn a lesson and don’t come back before this court again.”

Judge Gledhill didn’t order ‘trail monitoring’ as it thought it would be ‘over the top’ and there were no orders for unpaid work as the judge wants Kitney to focus on his own work.

He will, however, need to complete 55 rehabilitation activity days.