LUKE HARDING, THE DARLINGTON SEX OFFENDER, BACK BEHIND BARS FOR DECEIT AND BREACHES
In November 2019, the town of Darlington witnessed the re-incarceration of Luke Harding, a man with a troubling criminal history involving sexual offenses.Harding, who had previously been convicted of heinous crimes against minors, found himself once again in custody after failing to disclose his true identity to a woman he had recently begun a relationship with.
The incident that led to his latest imprisonment was brought before Teesside Crown Court, where it was revealed that Harding was considered a high-risk individual to the public.
The court recounted that Harding’s history of sexual offending dates back to 2015, when he was convicted of raping a heavily intoxicated 12-year-old girl during a gathering in a field in Darlington.
This early conviction marked the beginning of a series of troubling offenses that would follow.
Prosecutor Jenny Haigh detailed how Harding, at the time calling himself Luke Saunders, met a woman while out drinking in Darlington in September.
He subsequently took her back to his residence, initiating a brief relationship.
However, as the relationship progressed, the woman became increasingly unsettled by Harding’s unpredictable and unsettling behavior, especially concerning his interactions with her very young sister.
Her discomfort grew as Harding’s conduct appeared more erratic and ‘creepy,’ prompting her to conduct an internet search about him.
It was through this online investigation that she uncovered Harding’s true identity and learned of his status as a convicted sex offender.
Shocked and alarmed by this revelation, she promptly contacted the police.
Harding was swiftly arrested and charged with two breaches of his notification requirements, which mandated him to disclose his identity and criminal history.
Further details from the court revealed that Harding, aged 21, had previously been sentenced to a community order for the two rapes of the 12-year-old girl.
He also faced charges related to a consensual sexual encounter with a teenage girl at Blackwell Golf Club in 2016.
Additionally, Harding had sent a graphic image of his genitals to another 12-year-old girl.
His troubling pattern of behavior extended to attempting to contact the teenage sister of another individual residing in a vulnerable young persons’ center in Hartlepool.
In 2017, Harding was convicted of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) after using the online pseudonym ‘BoroLad12’ to access the dating website ‘Plenty of Fish.’ During the sentencing hearing, defense solicitor James Fenny argued that Harding’s relationship with the woman lasted only a few days and that he had not been in contact with the young girl involved in his previous offenses.
Fenny suggested that a probation and monitoring approach might serve the public better, emphasizing the importance of maintaining oversight over Harding’s activities.
However, Judge Deborah Sherwin was unequivocal in her assessment of Harding’s character and conduct.
She sentenced him to two concurrent two-year prison terms for breaching his SHPO, emphasizing Harding’s demonstrated inability to be truthful and honest with those responsible for his supervision.
The judge pointed out that Harding lied about his name, failed to disclose his convictions, and did not inform his offender manager about his relationship or his residence, which included a house where a young child stayed on weekends.
Judge Sherwin expressed her lack of confidence in Harding’s willingness or ability to comply with any future orders, stating, “I have no faith whatsoever that you will comply with any order, I think you will take it as a license to continue lying and being deceitful to those who are looking after you.” She further warned that if Harding’s relationship had continued, it would have brought him into contact with the young sister of the woman he was involved with, raising serious concerns about potential harm and further offenses.
