SEX OFFENDER ‘HID IN BUSHES’

Homeless man claimed he was ‘too busy’ to register with police

SEX offender Abel Debessay has been jailed after he failed to inform police he was homeless within three days of his release from prison.

The 27-year-old Eritrean was placed on the sex offenders’ register for seven years in 2017 after he sexually assaulted a woman leaving a nightclub.

But he breached the order on several occasions by not registering his address with the police.

And when he was released from prison on August 3 he did not register the fact he was homeless with police within three days.

Officers found him hiding in bushes on a bridal path near Kidsgrove on August 27. He said he had been living on the streets and had not registered because ‘he was too busy’.

Now Debessay has been jailed for eight months at Stoke-on-trent Crown Court.

Prosecutor Jonathan Veasey-pugh said Debessay’s criminal record was ‘repeatedly punctuated’ by breaches of the notification requirements.

He said: “In October 2020 he failed to notify his address. In March 2021 he did register an address but was told not to return to the property after an incident where he was not arrested. But he did not confirm a new address.

“The defendant knows that he must register his address within three days of his release. And the requirement is that if he is homeless he should notify that. On August 3 the defendant was released from prison. He had to register the fact of his homelessness within three days.

“It is suggested by the crown that he knew of his requirements because in 2017 he had them translated to him.

“On August 27 a police officer attended James Brindley Way at 10.45am and a bridal path leading towards Kidsgrove. The officer walked along the path towards Kidsgrove and about 10 minutes into the walk the defendant was hiding in the bushes. He was arrested.”

In his police interview Debessay confirmed he understood the requirements. He had been living on the streets and he had not registered that as he was too busy.

Debessay, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders’ register.

Stuart Muldoon, mitigating, said his client has ‘no real explanation’ as to why he did not register at the police station. He added: “He was released from custody without accommodation.”

Judge Paul Glenn said: “You have persistently failed to comply with notification requirements. There are seven previous convictions for precisely that and those convictions seriously aggravate your position.

“You know what is expected of you under the terms of the notification requirements and the purpose of the requirements is to protect the public by keeping track of you. He added: “The original offence was a contact offence. The probation service assess you as a high risk of harm to the public. And when you breach this order, there is a risk, in my judgement, of serious harm. That is not a risk restricted to sexual offending.

“Do yourself a favour and comply with the requirements or you will be back inside again.”