October 2019 Rapist banned from parks, schools and playgrounds caught next to play area at Stoke-on-Trent beauty spot Convicted rapist Anthony Carr has been jailed – after being spotted near a play area by an off-duty prison officer. The warden was with his children at Westport Lake, in Tunstall, when he recognised the 54-year-old and contacted the police. The defendant – whose lengthy criminal record includes the rape of a 58-year-old woman in a playground in front of her grandson – fled from the scene and was arrested two days later at his Tunstall home. Now Carr has been jailed for 18 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. The court heard Carr was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) on September 5, 2017 for an offence of exposure. It bans him from entering a park, except when accompanied by police officers, or loitering within 50 metres of any school or playground. But the defendant was seen at Westport Lake at about 5pm on April 19. Prosecutor David Bennett said: “As the off-duty prison officer approached the children’s play area he immediately noticed and recognised the defendant standing by the perimeter fence. “Knowing the defendant’s background he became concerned. He approached the defendant and challenged him. The defendant made off along the canal path. The officer contacted the police.” The defendant was arrested and accepted being at Westport Lake. He said he did not know it was a park and said he just went for a stroll around the lake because it was a nice day. Carr, of Athelstan Street, Tunstall, pleaded guilty to breaching his SHPO. Barry White, mitigating, conceded the defendant has an ‘appalling’ record. He said: “He did not trouble anybody. When challenged he left immediately. He offers his apologies.” The defendant’s sexual offending dates back to when he was 19. Judge Paul Glenn told him: “I regard you as a highly dangerous man. You have shown yourself capable of serious offences. “Over a period of 30 years you have exposed yourself to various females and ignored restrictions imposed by court orders. “You were well aware of the terms of the SHPO and you chose to flout the order. “It is very worrying indeed that someone like you was hanging around the children’s playground watching children play. “It was a matter of good fortune, from the point of view of the public, that you were seen by a prison officer who was there with his children.” August 2015 Pervert was ‘thrown off’ two buses for performing sex act PERVERT Anthony Carr has been jailed after he was spotted carrying out a sex act on himself – on two buses The convicted sex offender was travelling on a bus between Stone and Newcastle when the first incident happened in June. The 50-year-old, sat behind a woman who could feel the back of her sat being repeatedly knocked. And Carr was arrested four days ago after he was reported by a different passenger as he again travelled on a bus from Stone. Steve Knowles, prosecuting at North Staffordshire Justice Centre, said: “Carr went to sit behind a woman passenger on June 23. “She kept feeling the back of her seat being knocked and saw him moving a lot physically. He could then be seen to be carrying out a sex act on himself.” Mr Knowles told the court that the woman grabbed her belongings and moved further up the bus. And as the vehicle got to Hanford roundabout she told the driver what had happened. Mr Knowles said: “Carr was told to leave the bus which he did.” Mr Knowles told the court that in the second incident Carr sat on a bus at Stone about a metre away from a woman passenger. He said: “She noticed his hands going up and down and he was looking at her in a sexual way. “She pressed the buzzer and walked down the bus to the driver who contacted the police.” Mr Knowles added: “The defendant has a number of previous convictions the majority of which are sexual.” Carr, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two offences of indecent exposure on June 23 and July 28 this year. He has now been jailed for 26 weeks. The defendant was also made the subject of a seven-year Sexual Offences Notification Order and was ordered to pay a £180 criminal court charge and an £80 victim surcharge once he is released. The defendant is also subject to 10 months recall on his previous prison sentence. October 2013 Pervert jailed after exposing genitals to teenage girls at Hanley’s Central Forest Park PERVERT Anthony Carr has been jailed ‘to protect the public’ after he stripped naked in bushes at a busy park and leered at two teenage girls. Carr, who was branded ‘dangerous’ by a judge, was caught exposing himself just days after he was released from prison for breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order. The 48-year-old was made the subject of a 10 year SOPO in 2007 which banned him from entering any park or wooded area except when accompanied by police or probation. But the convicted rapist was jailed for 16 months in 2011 after flashing at a 12-year-old girl at Hanley’s WHSMITH store And in March this year he was locked up for a further 16 months after he breached the SOPO by walking past the gates at Sutherland Primary Academy, Blurton, as pupils were leaving. But just 23 after being released from prison, Carr breached the order again. Prosecutor Neil Ahuja told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court two 15-year-old girls were walking through Hanley Forest Park towards the skate park when they noticed a man in the bushes with his upper body naked. Mr Ahuja said: “They became aware of him walking through the bushes, looking at them. “He was now completely naked and was using his hands to cover his genitals. He was in a crouched position, staring at them.” Another park user and his four-year-old son also saw the naked defendant running through bushes. Police arrived to find Carr in the process of getting dressed. Mr Ahuja added: “His jeans were half way down his legs.” Carr, of Ripon Road, Blurton, pleaded guilty to breaching a SOPO on August 29. Jason Holt, mitigating, said Carr’s guilty plea was his only mitigation. Judge David Fletcher said he had a duty to protect the people of Stoke-on-Trent and jailed Carr for 32 months. The judge told him: “Just a few months ago we met in connection with your second breach of this SOPO. The circumstances of that were far less serious. “This is the third breach. That is an aggravating feature but much more aggravating is the circumstances of this breach. Twenty-three days after your release from prison you were creeping around in a wooded area, nowhere near where you were living. “You were creeping around stark naked in the bushes. You knew there were young people about. It was the final week of the school holidays. “Two 15-year-old girls and a man and young child saw you. “When spoken to by the police you were putting on your clothes and displaying your genitals to the officer.” Judge Fletcher added: “You are a dangerous individual. You have a serious conviction for rape going back to the 1990s. You have clearly learnt no lesson whatsoever.” March 2013 Police catch rapist outside Blurton school PARENTS have spoken of their shock after a convicted sex offender breached a court order by walking past the gates of their children’s school as pupils were leaving. Pervert Anthony Carr was made the subject of a 10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) in 2007. It means Carr cannot walk within 50 metres of a school between 7.30am and 9.30am and 2.30pm and 4.30pm or go into wooded areas. But Carr, whose previous convictions include rape and indecent assault, breached the order by walking past Sutherland Primary Academy, in Blurton, on three occasions and entering nearby woods on December 5. In 2011, Carr was jailed for 16 months after flashing at a 12-year-old girl at Hanley’s WH Smiths store. Now the 47-year-old has been jailed for a further 16 months. Neil Ahuja, prosecuting, told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court: “Police were watching him on Wednesday, December 5. “At 3.17pm he was seen walking past the front gates of Sutherland Primary at a time when a lot of children and adults were coming from the school. At 3.30pm he was seen near football pitches adjacent to Meaford Drive. Five minutes later he was seen going into a wooded area. Just after 3.50pm he walked past the school while children were walking home. At 4.10pm he again walked past the school for a third time. He walked past children. He walked slowly past the entrance to the school. “At that stage the police approached and arrested him.” Carr, of Ripon Road, Blurton, pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching the SOPO. Rachel Thompson, mitigating, said no-one was harmed and added Carr has now lost his accommodation. Judge David Fletcher told Carr: “You disobeyed both the conditions. One is clearly designed to prevent you going within 50 metres of a school when children are going in or coming out. You went near the school when it was obvious the children were coming out. “You also knew you were not to go in a wooded area and you did exactly that.” Headteacher Garry Boote had not been made aware of Carr’s arrest. Following the court case, he said: “We have fantastic security, with automated gates and CCTV, and we take keeping our children safe very seriously.” Parents are pleased Carr has been locked up. March 2011 Flasher jailed after exposing himself to girl, 12, in shop PERVERT Anthony Carr has been jailed after he exposed himself to a 12-year-old girl in a city centre shop. The 45-year-old defendant, who has 18 similar previous convictions, as well as one for rape, committed the offence inside WH Smiths in the Potteries Shopping Centre at about 3.30pm on Saturday, November 13. Prosecutor Robert Price yesterday told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court the victim was in the shop with her mother. But as she went to make an inquiry at the customer service desk and the girl looked at books, Carr walked round the corner towards her with his penis exposed outside his trousers. He looked at the girl as he exposed himself. The young victim was scared and immediately walked to her mum. “Her mother saw her coming towards her looking terrified, with watery eyes and flushed cheeks,” said Mr Price. The schoolgirl told her mum what had happened when they were outside the store. Carr was identified by a police officer who studied stills from the CCTV. The defendant, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to exposure. The court was told Carr is a registered sex offender, who has a “large number of highly relevant convictions”. Jason Holt, mitigating, said the maximum sentence for this offence was two years and asked for Carr to be given credit for his guilty plea. He asked Judge Paul Glenn to consider imposing a three year community order. But the judge said Carr has been given community orders on previous occasions which have been designed to help him, but he has not changed his ways. Instead he jailed the defendant for 16 months; the maximum he was able to. Judge Glenn told Carr: “You are now 45, you have been committing offences such as this since you were aged 19. “Courts have repeatedly tried to help you with six probation or community orders. But you have failed to change and there is no optimism you would ever do so. “There are also contact offences including a rape in 1993 for which you received an 11 year sentence.” The judge said there was a high risk of Carr causing serious harm to others. “It is a worrying aspect the victim in this case is a child,” added Judge Glenn. “But my hands are tied in this case as the maximum penalty is two years.” Carr will serve no more than half the sentence with the rest on licence. The 108 days he spent on remand will count towards the term. The defendant will be on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years in respect of this offence.