AARON KITNEY ESCAPES JAIL AFTER BREACHING COURT ORDER IN OXFORDSHIRE

 |  Red Rose Database

Oxfordshire Child Sexual Abuser
A convicted sex offender, Aaron Kitney, has once again avoided immediate imprisonment after being found living with a 17-month-old child in Oxfordshire, despite having a court order that explicitly prohibited such contact.

Kitney, aged 34, first came into the criminal justice system in 2019 when he was convicted of engaging in sexual activities with a 15-year-old girl. During his trial, he maintained that the relationship was consensual, a claim that was not accepted by the court. He pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual activity with a minor and was subsequently sentenced to eight years in prison. As part of his sentence, he was also placed under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), a legal measure designed to restrict his contact with minors and prevent further offending.

He was released on licence in March 2022, but his freedom was conditional upon strict compliance with the terms of his SHPO. Despite this, Kitney later moved in with a 21-year-old mother who had a 17-month-old son. It emerged that he failed to disclose his living arrangements to the mother or to local childcare authorities, as required by the conditions of his SHPO. This breach of the court order led to his appearance at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday, February 22, where he faced charges of breaching the order.

During the hearing, Judge Michael Gledhill sentenced Kitney to a 12-month prison term, which was suspended for two years. The judge expressed his views on the matter, stating, “No one thinks you have an inappropriate interest in young male children, but it was covered in the SHPO. If you had just told the mother and the child support services about the SHPO, they might have advised you to seek a variation of the order. But you brought this all on yourself.”

The court was informed that Kitney, who resides on Gaveston Road in Didcot, had disclosed his previous convictions to the mother but had not informed her or the authorities about the specific conditions of his SHPO. The mother’s own parents, upon learning about Kitney’s past, became concerned and conducted their own research. Their investigation revealed his criminal history, prompting them to contact the police. As a result, Kitney has been in custody for approximately six months.

At the time of his arrest, Kitney was found to have other accommodation, having previously been homeless and living in a tent for about four months. When police searched his belongings, they discovered most of his personal items, including clothes, at the mother’s residence.

Representing Kitney, barrister Gordana Austen explained that her client was employed as a groundworker six days a week and worked evenings as a cleaner five days a week, attempting to maintain a stable routine. She emphasized that he was making efforts to keep himself occupied.

Concluding the case, Judge Gledhill remarked, “It’s your own stupid fault. Just keep yourself to yourself. Learn a lesson and don’t come back before this court again.” The judge decided against imposing ‘trail monitoring,’ considering it unnecessary and potentially excessive, and chose not to order unpaid work, instead focusing on rehabilitation. Kitney is required to complete 55 days of rehabilitation activities as part of his sentence.
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