August 2013
Jail for man who breached order imposed for indecent assault
A MAN who breached a sexual offences prevention order by having contact with a number of young girls has been jailed for ten months.
Paul Staton had been given the order by magistrates in November 2009 as the result of an indecent assault he had previously committed.
The 39-year-old, of Langridge Crescent, Middlesbrough, was visited by an officer from Cleveland police’s Public Protection Unit on June 25 this year as he was subjected to regular monitoring.
He was asked if he had any contact with children under the age of 18 and said no. However officers were suspicious and began an investigation, tracing the parents of the youngsters in question via a mobile phone of Staton’s.
The defendant admitted four counts of breaching a sexual offences prevention order.
Jennifer Coxon, mitigating, said he had acted quite naively and hadn’t given police the full facts.
She said he had never been left alone with the young girls, nor supervised them, and said the contact came about as a result of socialising with adults he knew.
Ms Coxon said: “He accepts the seriousness of breaching the order and the fact he is facing custody.”
Judge Howard Crowson, sitting at Teesside Crown Court, said the purpose of the order was to ensure that children were not put at risk, although he said in this case the risks had been relatively minimal.
Jailing him for ten months, Judge Crowson said further breaches would be taken even more seriously.
