Stephen Proctor 58

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Convicted sex offender Stephen Proctor has dodged prison for breaking a court rule - four years after being jailed for a similar offence.

The 58-year-old was caged for 30 months in 2021 after setting up fake social media profiles on Facebook. It followed his conviction for sexual activity with a child after kissing a 15-year-old girl on the lips in 2021.

Now Proctor - who has eight convictions for 34 offences - has been sentenced yet again.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard how Proctor, of Leek Road, Stoke, failed to tell police that he had obtained a new passport ahead of a trip to Turkey.

Prosecutor Gurdit Singh said: “The defendant notified police he was planning to go to Turkey. He planned to use a passport which he had not notified police he had received and was arrested. In an interview later that day, he told police he wasn’t aware he needed to.”

But Rashid Mohammed, mitigating, argued that Proctor’s failure to comply was a genuine oversight.

He said: “The real question of this case is whether we need to send Mr Proctor to prison. There wasn’t a total disregard to inform authorities of his actions - he had notified police of where he was going. But he had overlooked the need to tell police about his new passport. He is currently on referral for help with ongoing mental health issues, including a suspected personality disorder. He is trying to keep himself busy with volunteer work and is trying to secure employment at a takeaway which is dependent on the outcome of this case.”

Proctor was handed an 18-month community order. It includes 20 days of rehabilitation and 200 hours unpaid work. He must also pay £1,000 costs.

Judge Richard McConaghy said: “You failed to notify police of your new passport in September. You did tell them you were going abroad. I acknowledge that your old passport was set to expire in January 2025, and you feared the passport would no longer be valid for travel. I also understand that you assumed it would be fine as it was using the same passport number. But it was your responsibility to notify police. I consider this a serious breach as you have been convicted of failing to notify police on a previous occasion, resulting in your imprisonment in 2021.”