PERVERT DIDN’T TELL THE POLICE HE WAS LIVING WITH A CHILD

Sex offender’s third breach of court order

SEX offender Peter Hodgson failed to tell police he was living in the same house as a child.

The 57-year-old was jailed for four years in 1997 after being convicted of two offences of indecently assaulting a girl.

As a result he was placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely – which has various conditions, including that he must notify the police within three days if he resides with a child for 12 hours or more.

But he failed to tell police a child related to his partner had been living with them for a year.

Now Hodgson has been handed an 18-month community order at Stokeon-trent Crown Court.

Prosecutor Stuart Clarkson said Hodgson completed his annual registration on April 8, 2020 and failed to disclose any change in his circumstances.

Mr Clarkson said: “Police made an unannounced visit to the defendant’s home at 10.10am on October 11 and found a child, now aged two, in the address.”

In his police interview, Hodgson made admissions and said he had ‘buried his head in the sand’.

Hodgson, of Stoke Old Road, Hartshill, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders’ register.

Scott Ashdown, mitigating, said his client is in employment.

As part of the community order Hodgson must complete a rehabilitation activity requirement for 25 days and a three-month electronically monitored curfew from 9pm to 5am.

Judge Paul Glenn said: “These sort of orders are made for a purpose. You have been subject to notification now for many years. It is inconvenient,

I am quite sure, to you but it is a court order and this is the third time you have breached notification requirements and I have thought very seriously about whether I need to send you away to punish you.

“The offence came to light by chance when the police came to your address. They found a child at the home who had lived with you for about a year or so, something you had not reported. You accepted that immediately.

“But this is not sexually motivated conduct at all, you have expressed remorse and you have a job and I do not think sending you to prison is necessary.

“Any breaches come back to me and I think custody will be inevitable.”

Hodgson must also pay £340 costs.