DEAN HEARSON FROM COTES HEATH AND KNYPERSLEY JAILED IN NOTTINGHAM FOR SEX OFFENCES

In August 2019, Dean Hearson, a man with a troubling history of sexual offences, was apprehended and subsequently sentenced to prison after breaching a court-imposed order designed to protect children from potential harm. The incident unfolded when police received a photograph depicting Hearson with a child at Tittesworth Reservoir, a popular outdoor location in North Staffordshire, on May 19. This image was part of an investigation that revealed Hearson had been in contact with a woman and her child on two separate occasions, specifically on April 22 and May 19, without the necessary approval from social services, thereby violating the terms of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Hearson, aged 50 at the time, had previously been subjected to this indefinite SHPO in the previous year after failing to meet the notification requirements of the sex offenders’ register. The court heard that the order explicitly prohibited him from having unsupervised contact with children. Despite this, he had arranged to meet the child's mother, and on both occasions, the contact was supervised, with other adults present, including the child's mother herself. The court emphasized that any contact with children under such circumstances must be approved and supervised by social services, which was not the case here. Prosecutor David James explained that police seized Hearson’s phone during his arrest and discovered various photographs indicating he had been at Matlock Baths with the same child. The breach was confirmed because the contact was unsupervised and not authorized by social services. Importantly, there was no evidence suggesting any sexual misconduct involving the child, but the breach of court orders was deemed serious enough to warrant immediate detention. Judge Paul Glenn addressed the court, stating, “The contact with the child was supervised on both occasions. You were with other adults, in particular, the child’s mother. The supervisor had to be assessed as suitable by social services.”

Earlier, in June 2018, Hearson, then aged 49, had been convicted of a different offence related to his previous sex offender status. He was caught sleeping in the same motorhome as a teenage boy, an act that violated the conditions of his registration. Having been placed on the sex offenders’ register after a conviction for making indecent images of children, Hearson was subject to strict notification requirements. These included restrictions on staying in a household with a child for more than 12 hours, as well as obligations to inform police of any changes to his personal details, including bank accounts and addresses. Despite these rules, police found that Hearson had breached them by sleeping in the same motorhome as a schoolboy, using a false name—Dean Clayton—to obtain an event pass, and failing to disclose a Lloyds Bank account he held in his own name. The court heard that he had begun associating with the boy in September, and by March and April, he was spending weekends in the motorhome with him. The boy’s mother was aware of the overnight stays but believed they were sleeping separately and was unaware of Hearson’s prior convictions. The police investigation uncovered that Hearson had obtained a pass under the alias Dean Clayton, which the boy knew him by, and found multiple bank and credit cards at his residence in Cotes Heath, further breaching his notification obligations. Hearson, of Cranberry, Cotes Heath, pleaded guilty to three offences related to failing to comply with the sex offenders’ register requirements and was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

In a separate incident from July 2014, Hearson, then aged 45 and residing in Nottingham, was fined for failing to notify police of his new passport details while traveling to Philadelphia. Previously, in June 2013, Hearson had been involved in a disturbing case where police found messages on a 12-year-old boy’s phone, indicating a relationship formed through mutual interests in motorcycling. The police investigation revealed that Hearson had contacted the boy via Facebook, visited his home, and asked if he was gay, raising serious concerns. During the raid on his home in Knypersley, police recovered multiple devices, with one containing child pornography. Analysis showed that between October 1 and 4, 2011, Hearson had downloaded 14 indecent images, with levels ranging from least to most serious, and a total of 770 images across various levels. Despite claiming he had no sexual interest in children and attempting to portray his actions as curiosity, he later pleaded guilty to five charges of making indecent images of children. The court sentenced him to a three-year community order, requiring supervision, completion of a sex offenders’ group work program, 120 hours of unpaid work, and registration on the sex offenders’ register for seven years. Throughout these incidents, Hearson’s history of offending and breaches of court orders highlight a pattern of concerning behavior that has led to multiple convictions and ongoing restrictions.