WARRINGTON PAEDOPHILE CAUGHT HIDING IN CHILD’S BATHROOM WEEKS AFTER SEX REGISTER BAN
A PAEDOPHILE has been jailed after he was found hiding in the bathroom of a property where a child lived just weeks after being put of the sex offenders register.Darren Bennett, of Cantilever Gardens in Latchford, was convicted in April after he was caught trying to encourage who he thought was a young girl to take explicit images of themselves in 2022.
The 46-year-old was actually messaging a decoy account set up with the intention to catch paedophiles online.
Bennett asked the decoy what size her breasts were and asked about her sexual history, telling her he would meet her if that’s what she wanted.
He also sent explicit images of himself to the decoy.
He was charged following a police investigation and sentenced to 21 months imprisonment, suspended for two years.
Bennett was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for the next 10 years and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time.
This sentence was breached, however, when Bennett was caught inside a property where a child lives just days after his hearing.
On April 15, Bennett was seen leaving this address in Warrington and police visited him shortly after to remind him about complying to the order he was sentenced to.
On May 9, Bennett was seen in his car parking close to the address at 11.40pm and the property was searching by police.
There, officers found Bennett hiding in the bathroom and he was later arrested.
He told officers once again that he was attending the property to visit a former partner who he was concerned about, and was dropping off pizza for her to eat.
Bennett pleaded guilty to the breach and was sentenced to 18 months immediate imprisonment at Chester Crown Court.
The 46-year-old will remain on the sex offenders register for the next 10 years and must abide by the sexual harm prevention order for the same time.
