JAMES FARQUHAR OF LITHERLAND SENTENCED IN LIVERPOOL FOR BREACHING SEX OFFENDER REGISTER RULES
A convicted sex offender, James Farquhar, has been re-incarcerated after breaching the conditions of his sex offender registration by travelling abroad without notifying authorities.Farquhar, who previously served 12 years in prison for multiple rapes of a teenage girl, is required to inform the police if he applies for a passport or travels abroad under the terms of the Sex Offenders Register.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Farquhar applied for a passport in November 2019 and subsequently traveled to the Philippines for a month-long holiday in March.
Prosecutor Derek Jones stated, "Farquhar's offender manager was informed about the trip upon his return, which prompted investigations into his passport application." However, police did not interview Farquhar until November 2020.
By that time, he had already spent a week on the Greek island of Kos earlier that year.
Mr.
Jones explained, "If the police had any specific concerns about his activities in the Philippines, he would have been arrested sooner." During sentencing, Judge Garrett Byrne addressed the court, saying, "This was a flagrant disregard of the notification requirements intended to manage the risk you pose to the community." The judge noted that Farquhar had claimed ignorance of the rules during an interview, but in reality, he traveled knowingly in breach of the conditions.
Farquhar, 62, of Ford Lane, Litherland, but formerly of Southport, pleaded guilty to three breaches of his sex offender registration conditions.
He was sentenced to nine months imprisonment.
In 2005, he was jailed for 15 years after being convicted of five rapes involving girls aged between 16 and 20, with an order to sign the register indefinitely.
His sentence was later reduced to 12 years on appeal.
In addition, Farquhar received a suspended sentence in February 2018 for assaulting his former partner and overstaying at her home without police notification.
Defense attorney Matthew O’Neill told the court that Farquhar was unaware he needed to notify authorities about obtaining a passport and traveling abroad, stating, "He signs the Register annually but was unaware of those particular conditions." Mr.
O'Neill also highlighted his client’s health issues, noting that Farquhar is scheduled for open heart surgery in five months and has been in custody for the past month following his guilty plea, which he said has been particularly challenging due to the pandemic.
He urged the judge to suspend any prison sentence, emphasizing his client’s health and circumstances.
