June 2014 Derby sex offender jailed for breaching order at New Year’s Eve party A CONVICTED sex offender has been jailed for breaching an order that banned him from having contact with children. Karl Manning, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a girl under 16 and was jailed for five years in 2011, has now been sent to prison for 10 months. Derby Crown Court was told that, on two occasions in the last year, Manning, of Beaufort Street, Chaddesden, spent time in the same room as children whose parents were unaware of his previous conviction. This was in breach of the sexual offences prevention order imposed on him in 2011. The court heard that there were two girls, aged eight and 11, at a New Year’s Eve party and a lunch gathering. Manning’s lawyer, Laura Pitman, said: “These weren’t deliberate flagrant breaches by him. “He found himself in a situation which he dealt with inappropriately – he should have walked out. “There’s no suggestion he has ever done anything inappropriate or sought out the children’s company.” Christopher Gabbitas, prosecuting, said that Manning had been invited to the party and the gathering through his new partner, who knew he had spent time in prison but was unaware of the type of offence. Mr Gabbitas said: “At the party, he sat in the kitchen and at the address were two children under the age of 16 – eight and 11. “He remained in the kitchen the whole time and the children came in and out to get food but, above and beyond that, there’s been no other contact with the children. He remained there for about an hour.” Mr Gabbitas said the other occasion was a get-together for a Sunday lunch and, at some point during the afternoon, the same children had arrived at the address. He said: “They were there for about two to three hours. The children had been going round asking the adults for money for their holiday and he gave them money for ice creams.” Manning admitted two offences of breaching a sexual offences prevention order. Miss Pitman said that Manning had gone to the party believing there would only be adults there and had not known the children would be at the gathering. She said: “I have explained to him what he is required to do in the future. For example, if he walks into a party and there are children there, either he’s to leave immediately or he has to inform the parents about the nature of his offending.”