ANDREW GILL FROM MIDDLESBROUGH JAILED FOR DECEIVING HOCKEY CLUB IN TEESSIDE
In April 2009, Andrew Gill, a man with a troubling past, was sentenced to prison after he was found guilty of deliberately providing a false identity to gain entry into a hockey club located in Teesside.Gill, who resides on Lovaine Street in Middlesbrough, used the alias 'White' when enrolling at the local sports club, concealing his previous conviction for indecent assault against a girl under the age of 14.
His actions did not stop there.
Gill also engaged in a romantic relationship with a single mother, which involved unsupervised contact with her child and her brother.
This was despite his failure to disclose his criminal history, raising serious concerns about the safety and transparency expected in such relationships.
Gill pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including twice breaching the sexual offences prevention order that had been imposed on him following his earlier convictions.
Additionally, he admitted to failing to comply with notification requirements by using a false name to conceal his identity.
The breaches were considered particularly serious given the nature of his previous offences.
Judge George Moorhouse presided over the case at Teesside Crown Court and sentenced Gill to three months in prison.
During the sentencing, the judge expressed his disapproval, stating, "It seems to me that you have a total disregard for court orders.
You are going to have to be punished for it so the message goes out loud and clear to others that if they do not comply or give false names, they go to prison." The court was informed that Gill had previously violated the order—initially imposed after his conviction for three indecent assaults in 2004—on four separate occasions in 2006.
The most recent breaches occurred in the year prior to his sentencing.
In his mitigation, Paul Newcombe argued that Gill’s breaches were driven more by naivety than malicious intent.
He emphasized that Gill was not a typical predatory paedophile, stating, "He is 24 years of age and does not present like the vast majority of sex offenders who come before the court, who weave their way into families with the ultimate goal of exploiting children." Newcombe further explained that Gill was seeking to establish relationships with women of his own age, rather than targeting children or families.
He highlighted the difficulty Gill faced in being honest about his past, describing it as a form of social stigma akin to a modern-day scarlet letter.
The lawyer also clarified that Gill’s false name was used because he owed money to a different hockey club, and there was no indication of any improper conduct related to his criminal record or the false identity.
Overall, the case underscores the ongoing challenges in managing offenders with a history of sexual offences, especially when they attempt to conceal their past to integrate into social or recreational activities.
