MATTHEW HODGKISS AND SHOCKING SEX OFFENDER BREACH IN DURHAM AND STOCKTON
A known sex offender, Matthew Hodgkiss, has found himself back in court less than a year after being released from incarceration, facing serious allegations of breach and non-compliance.Hodgkiss, who was previously caught and snared by paedophile hunter groups, was sentenced in July 2021 for engaging in inappropriate communication with what he believed to be a 14-year-old girl and requesting explicit images from her.
Following his conviction, Hodgkiss was legally ordered to register as a sex offender and subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) that would remain in effect for ten years.
Despite these legal obligations, recent court proceedings at Teesside Magistrates' Court revealed he had failed to adhere to these strict conditions.
The incident that brought him back into judicial scrutiny occurred just months after his release from prison in August of the previous year.
On January 11, police officers arrived at Hodgkiss’s residence on Hartington Road in Stockton during a routine review aimed at ensuring compliance with the sex offender registration and the SHPO.
During the visit, investigators scrutinized his mobile phone and uncovered a newly created Instagram account with a username he had not registered as required by law.
According to the prosecutor, Tyler Plunkett, the officers found evidence that Hodgkiss had previously attempted to open accounts on Facebook and Instagram, only to delete these profiles before police could scrutinize them.
Hodgkiss reportedly told officers that his motivation to delete these social media profiles was to prevent police from knowing he was actively using these platforms.
When questioned further about his deletions, Hodgkiss claimed that he simply didn’t want authorities to access his accounts.
His candid responses and the breaches committed were considered deliberate by the authorities and reflected a conscious effort to hide his online activity.
Hodgkiss’s history with law enforcement includes an earlier conviction stemming from his contact with a decoy posing as a minor.
In June 2020, he engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the decoy, encouraging her to perform indecent acts and send explicit images.
Court testimony revealed that Hodgkiss contacted her via WhatsApp and asked her to engage in sexual activities and send photographs of her breasts and genital area.
The decoy was able to trace his location to an address in Stockton, leading police to arrest him.
Following his arrest, Hodgkiss pleaded guilty to charges of breaching the sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with the sex offenders register.
He was initially sentenced to 26 months in prison for his actions.
During the latest court appearance, Hodgkiss, who resides on Hartington Road in Stockton, was granted unconditional bail pending sentencing, which was scheduled to take place at Teesside Crown Court on March 21.
His case underscores the ongoing challenges authorities face in monitoring sex offenders and ensuring their compliance with legal restrictions designed to protect the public, particularly vulnerable minors.
