DECLAN STIRLING OF HARTLEPOOL SENT BACK TO PRISON FOR BREACHING SEX OFFENDER ORDERS
In a troubling case that highlights ongoing concerns about sexual offenders and their reintegration into society, Declan Stirling, a 22-year-old resident of Tankerville Street in Hartlepool, has been sentenced to additional imprisonment after breaching court-imposed restrictions and failing to adhere to sex offender notification requirements.Stirling’s criminal history is extensive and disturbing.
His previous convictions include a sexual assault on a young boy when he was just 14 years old in 2010, an incident that marked the beginning of his pattern of offending.
In 2013, he was found guilty of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, further demonstrating his troubling behavior involving minors.
The most serious of his past crimes involved sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl in 2016, for which he received a two-year sentence at a young offenders’ institution.
Despite serving his sentence, Stirling was released from detention in July 2017, only to continue his unlawful activities.
Within months of his release, he was found to be flouting a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) that was specifically designed to protect children from him.
This order was meant to restrict his contact with minors and prevent further offenses, but Stirling’s actions indicated a blatant disregard for these legal safeguards.
Further complicating his case, Stirling was found to have set up a Facebook account under the false name Dwayne Johnson.
Through this account, he attempted to contact a vulnerable underage girl.
According to prosecutor Paul Reid, Stirling’s online interactions were relatively harmless in nature, as he never arranged to meet her in person.
However, the fact that he was actively seeking contact with minors while under the restrictions of the SHPO raised serious concerns.
Adding to the complexity of the case, a fellow resident at the bail hostel where Stirling was staying has been accused of sexual offenses against the same girl and is awaiting trial.
This connection underscores the ongoing risks associated with Stirling’s presence in the community.
In a further breach of the law, Stirling was recalled to prison to serve out the remainder of his 2016 sentence.
Yet, even after his release in July 2017, he continued to offend.
His activities included creating multiple Facebook accounts and joining a carers’ charity organization that supports both adults and children.
Stirling claimed he was joining the charity because he was caring for his boyfriend, but he failed to disclose his criminal history, including his sex offenses.
While involved with the charity, Stirling attended a party where he spent a significant amount of time with children.
In July of this year, he took a teenage girl away with him, an incident described as “uneventful” by witnesses.
Subsequently, he offered to provide child-minding assistance to a father involved with the charity.
The father, feeling pressured and uncomfortable with Stirling’s persistent attention towards his family, eventually severed contact with him.
The situation escalated when Stirling offered to take the children of another family swimming.
This act prompted the father to cut off all communication, suspecting Stirling’s intentions.
His suspicions were confirmed when a staff member at the charity was informed that Stirling was a known paedophile who had previously served time for sexual offenses.
When confronted about his past, Stirling admitted to being on the sex offenders’ register for “sexting” with a teenager.
His denial of the full extent of his criminal record and his minimization of his past actions alarmed authorities and the court.
Judge Stephen Ashurst addressed Stirling directly during sentencing, expressing serious concerns about his ongoing risk to children.
The judge stated, “I say at once that I have some concerns about your sexual history and the risk that you present to children in future.
You have a worrying history with sexual offending in relation to children.
Your offending in the past has been against boys and girls.” While acknowledging that Stirling’s reasons for joining the carers’ charity might have been legitimate, the judge emphasized that Stirling deliberately concealed his criminal background.
The court noted that Stirling had not come to terms with the concept of informed consent, as evidenced by his continued denial of his 2016 conviction and his belief that the girl involved had consented.
Furthermore, the judge highlighted Stirling’s persistent defiance of court orders and his failure to demonstrate any fixed boundaries of acceptable behavior.
As a result, Stirling was sentenced to 20 months in prison, and his Sexual Harm Prevention Order was made indefinite, reflecting the court’s assessment of the ongoing danger he poses to the community.
Stirling’s case underscores the importance of vigilant monitoring and strict enforcement of restrictions on convicted sex offenders, especially those with a history of offending against children.
His repeated breaches and continued associations with minors serve as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by authorities in safeguarding vulnerable populations from known offenders.
