Tattershall sex offender ‘failed to report to police’

A 28-year-old man, living homeless in Tattershall, failed to report weekly to police on time and so breached an order he is subject to ‘indefinitely’ for child sexual offences.
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Scales of justice

Steven Stone, who gave a ‘care of’ address in Cromwell Place, admitted four times failing to comply with the terms of the Sex Offenders’ Register, when he appeared at Boston Magistrates’ Court last week (January 30).

The court was told he had been originally placed on the Register by Derby Crown Court for five years in January 2010 for a sexual assault on a child, and then appeared at Lincoln Crown Court in April, just three months later for sexual activity with a child.

In August he was sentenced to 39 months imprisonment and placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.

Jim Clare, prosecuting, said that, since 2010, there had been breaches of the order and a further conviction.

He told the magistrates that in August 2018, he told the police he was homeless and was told he should notify them every week - but on four occasions in August and September, he was late in telling them, by periods of between one and four days.

Mr Clare said that although the breaches might appear to be minor, it was a pattern of someone who ‘ignores orders from the court’ and now he was also subject to a criminal behaviour order.

Michael Alexander, mitigating, said Stone became homeless and said he did not as a result monitor time.

“He does not have a watch and one day merges into another,” he said. He said the police were ‘very well aware’ of him and ‘know where he is most of the time’.

He added that Stone had no transport and the nearest police stations for him to report were in Horncastle (9 miles away) or Sleaford (14 miles away) and he has to walk.

Magistrates said they were ‘seriously concerned’ and ordered a report from the Probation Service, and adjourned sentencing to Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on February 13