Description
A sex offender who went on the run after refusing to disclose his address to police was living "off grid" in west Wales, a court heard.
Christopher Spelman, with links to Merseyside, was released from a Dorset prison on July 4, 2025, but refused to inform authorities of his intended residence before disappearing.
Police issued multiple public appeals, including a feature on Crimewatch, but his location remained unknown until he turned himself in at Haverfordwest police station in Pembrokeshire on January 3, 2026.
Swansea Crown Court heard that Spelman disputes his original child sex offence conviction but now seeks a more conventional life with suitable housing.
Prosecutor Brian Simpson told the court that Spelman was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2014 for 12 counts of sexually assaulting a girl under 14, requiring lifetime registration as a sex offender. Requirements include notifying police of his address within three days of residence, per Wales Online.
Upon release, Spelman told staff he had no intention of registering and planned to buy a tent to "live off grid." When he failed to contact Lancashire police, a manhunt ensued, with appeals noting his likely travel via public transport to campsites and links to Merseyside, Manchester, Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Hampshire, and Wiltshire.
Spelman, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with notification requirements. He has 11 prior convictions for 29 offences, including the 12 sexual assault counts and a previous failure to comply. After his 2016 halfway release from the 2014 sentence, he was at large for five years.
Defence barrister Andrew Evans called the case "an unusual one in many, many ways," noting Spelman does not accept his 2014 guilt or the resulting requirements, and has long expressed a desire to "live outside society." However, he has "slowly recognised" the court order's authority, now wants a normal life with appropriate accommodation, and requested a custodial sentence to facilitate release arrangements.
Judge Geraint Walters noted signs in the pre-sentence report of desired changes and warned that future breaches would lead to longer sentences. With a one-third discount for his guilty plea, Spelman was jailed for 10 months, to serve up to half in custody before release on licence.