DANIEL SHEAD FROM LETCHWORTH SENT BACK TO JAIL FOR CONTACTING CHILDREN

In August 2017, Daniel Shead, a known sex offender from Letchworth, was once again brought before the courts and sentenced to a 12-month prison term for violating the strict conditions of his release. Shead, who resides in Maddles, had previously been convicted of serious sexual offenses and was under a court-imposed order that strictly prohibited him from any contact with minors.

Back in 2014, Shead, then aged 24, was sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of multiple sexual assaults against a 14-year-old girl. The crimes took place in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, and involved two counts of penetrative sexual activity and one count of non-penetrative sexual activity with a minor. Following his conviction, he was also subjected to a 10-year sexual offences prevention order, which explicitly forbade him from having any unsupervised contact with girls under the age of 16. Additionally, he was placed on the sexual offenders register permanently, marking him as a high-risk individual in the eyes of the law.

Despite these restrictions, Shead was released early from prison on licence, which allowed him some degree of freedom under supervision. However, during this period, he breached the terms of his order by engaging in conversations with children, an act that prompted immediate legal action. Today, at St Albans Crown Court, Recorder Patrick Fields sentenced Shead to an additional 12 months behind bars for this breach. The court also issued a new sexual harm prevention order, further restricting Shead’s ability to contact or approach girls under 16 years of age.

The investigation into Shead’s activities was led by Hertfordshire Constabulary’s HALO team, a specialized police unit dedicated to tackling child sexual exploitation. Detective Constable Heather Sheldon, who headed the inquiry, emphasized the importance of partnership working in securing the conviction. She stated, “Partnership working led to the arrest of Daniel Shead for these offences. The sentence given to him fully reflects the seriousness of the crimes he committed and I hope this sentencing sends a clear message to others that we and our partners will do everything in our power to tackle these crimes.”

Authorities continue to urge the community to remain vigilant and report any concerns related to child safety. They have provided a contact number for Hertfordshire’s Children’s Services at 0300 123 4043, encouraging residents to assist in safeguarding vulnerable children and preventing further offenses by offenders like Shead.