Gary Chitticks 41

Description

A convicted pedophile who breached court orders to hide his criminal past from his new girlfriend has been jailed for two years and eight months.

Gary Chitticks, 41, failed to notify police of his move from Bournemouth to Wearside for the relationship and did not register a new mobile phone, as required by a 2021 order after his imprisonment for attempting to meet a decoy child for sex.

He admitted six breaches at Newcastle Crown Court.

In 2021, Chitticks was jailed for four years in Bournemouth after admitting attempting sexual communications with a child, having messaged a decoy profile and suggested meeting for sexual activity, prosecutor Ian Windridge said.

Lifelong orders mandated notifying police of his address via the sex offender register, registering internet-enabled devices, and retaining their search histories.

In July, Chitticks told Northumbria Police he was homeless and sleeping rough in Hetton-le-Hole, Sunderland.

Officers traced a linked mobile number to a woman in Houghton-le-Spring, who said they began dating in May, spent a week at a Bournemouth hotel, and he then moved in with her—changes he should have reported.

Upon his August arrest, police found an unregistered phone set to auto-delete history and a bank card under the alias Dave Chambers, Mr. Windridge said.

In mitigation, Claire Anderson said Chitticks had "allowed his heart to rule his head" to protect the budding relationship.

Judge Gavin Doig noted Chitticks had also been jailed for exposing himself since 2021, had "clearly sought to hide the truth" from the woman, and deemed the breaches "serious." He called the orders "simply non-negotiable," saying Chitticks posed "far too high a risk" to the public for leniency.