CONVICTED RAPIST LIVED IN TENT IN PARK AFTER BEING MADE HOMELESS
He faces prison if he keeps breaching order
HOMELESS David Bailey breached a court order by failing to inform police where he was living.
The 27-year-old convicted rapist has to tell officer where he is living but he failed to notify them that he was at an address in Crown Bank, Hanley, for three months.
And he was three days late notifying police that he was of no fixed abode in February. Now Bailey has been sentenced to a three year community order at Stoke-on-trent Crown Court.
Prosecutor Maria Brannan said the defendant was convicted of rape in 2014 and was placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely. He attended Longton Police Station on February 7 to register his address as no fixed abode and was told he would have to register as no fixed address every seven days.
But he failed to register on February 14 and attended the station on February 17 after being contacted by police. He said he had been living in a tent in Hanley Park and had to live outside Birmingham Police Station after a row with his mum.
Miss Brannan said: “That was reported in the local press together with a photograph of the defendant which led to the second set of offences.”
She said on November 17 the defendant had registered as no fixed address. But following the newspaper report police received a call from a man who had been told someone living in his property was a sex offender.
Miss Brannan said: “He looked at the photo and recognised the person. He had a 12 bedroom property and the defendant had lived there with his mum since November. Police attended and removed him on April 3.”
Bailey, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders’ register.
Paul Cliff, mitigating, said the most serious matter was the defendant failing to tell police he was living at the address in Crown Bank.
He said the defendant has had issues with accommodation. Mr Cliff added: “The court could impose an immediate sentence but it would not be a long time until he is released.”
As part of the community order Bailey must complete a thinking skills programme and a rehabilitation activity requirement for 40 days.
Judge David Fletcher said: “I know you have spent a considerable period of the last few years living on the streets. That doesn’t mean that you are incapable of being proactive in doing things. You know where the various people that can help you are.
“Just failing by a day to notify the police of a change of address or where your address is will almost certainly result in you being charged. The more of these charges you get the more likely it is you will go straight to prison for longer and longer periods.”