LEE MARTIN'S SHOCKING REVELATION IN BLACKPOOL: WOMAN DISCOVERS HE'S A CONVICTED PAEDOPHILE
A Blackpool woman was left devastated after discovering her new partner, Lee Martin, was a convicted paedophile only when police arrived at her home seeking him.The mother, who had recently started a relationship with Martin, 32, initially believed she had found someone caring and loving.
However, she was unaware that Martin had served a five-year prison sentence for a serious sexual assault on a child a decade earlier.
Following his release, Martin was subject to strict conditions that forbade him from having unsupervised contact with children under 16 unless given social services approval and prior knowledge of his convictions.
In November last year, Lancashire Police officers visited Martin’s residence in Claremont Court, Blackpool, to check on him.
When they learned he was not at his address, a neighbor provided information that he was living with a woman and her children at a different location.
Upon locating him in a parked car outside that home, Martin claimed he was homeless and sleeping rough.
Later, he admitted to police that he had been living with the woman and her children for several weeks.
The woman explained she had been involved with Martin and had allowed him to stay after her flat was damaged in a fire, unaware of his criminal past.
Describing her initial impressions, she said, “The day I met him I had no idea he was a sex offender.
He came across as very loving and caring.
He asked me personal questions about my children and their fathers.” She added that he inquired about her family and her relationships, including her child's father, which led her to distance herself from others.
The relationship progressed rapidly, with Martin proposing marriage and a family, and expressing a desire to take on a parental role with her children—sometimes taking them to school or shopping to give her a break.
She shared, “I felt like my dreams had come true because they needed a father figure in their lives.” Prosecutor Rachel Woods stated that there was no evidence children suffered any physical harm while in Martin's care.
However, Martin violated his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by associating with the young family.
The woman expressed her feelings of vulnerability and betrayal, saying, “I feel Lee saw me as an easy target.
I was a single mum with no family around.
I feel like he took advantage of me.
I feel like I was brainwashed, and I constantly wonder what he could have done to my children if I had allowed him more access.” Martin pleaded guilty to breaching the SHPO and failing to notify the police of a change of address, which are legally required actions.
He appeared via videolink at Preston Crown Court for sentencing.
Recorder Jones commented, “You duped this woman at every turn.
You gave her the impression of being a caring and decent individual who would protect her and her children.
No physical harm was inflicted, but the breach of trust is profound.
Your false intentions have shattered their trust and exploited their vulnerability.” Defence solicitor Holly Nelson stated that Martin had broken contact with the woman and had resumed a relationship with his ex, who has no children.
Following his plea, the Recorder sentenced Martin to 30 months in prison for breaching the SHPO and an additional 20 months to run concurrently for failing to notify authorities about a change of address.
