PAUL BANFIELD BREACHES RESTRAINING ORDER IN TELFORD: SHOCKING INCIDENT IN SHREWSBURY TOWN CENTRE
In a disturbing development, Paul Banfield, a man with a troubling history of inappropriate conduct towards young girls, has once again breached a court-imposed restraining order.The incident took place in Telford, a town where Banfield has been known to frequent, and has raised serious concerns about his ongoing risk to the community.
Back in 2015, Banfield was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison, a sentence that was suspended for two years, after he admitted to inappropriately touching and kissing a teenage girl in Shrewsbury town centre.
His guilty plea was entered at Shrewsbury Crown Court, where the court was informed that this was not an isolated incident.
It was revealed that this was the third young girl he had approached and behaved in a similar inappropriate manner towards, prompting police to express increasing concern over the potential danger he posed to the public.
At that time, a restraining order was issued, explicitly forbidding Banfield from being present in Telford town centre during certain hours, particularly during school term-time.
Despite this, on September 8 of this year, Banfield was spotted in the town centre at approximately 7 a.m.
by the father of one of his previous victims.
The sighting was alarming enough that the father decided to document the incident by taking a photograph as evidence.
Following this breach, Banfield, aged 44 and residing in Stonedale, Sutton Hill, Telford, was promptly arrested and brought before Shrewsbury Crown Court.
Prosecutor Miss Samantha Powis stated that Banfield had violated the restraining order, which was a serious breach of the court's directives.
In his defense, Mr.
Dean Easthope argued that the breach was minor, describing it as a low-level violation.
He explained that Banfield was merely on the ring road, unaware that his location could be considered a breach of the restraining order.
Easthope emphasized that Banfield is a vulnerable individual with learning difficulties and that he was on his way to catch a train to Wolverhampton, not intentionally seeking to violate the court's restrictions.
Banfield himself claimed he had not realized that school had resumed, which could have contributed to his presence in the area at that time.
The court was told that at 7 a.m., it was unlikely he would have come into contact with any schoolchildren, given the early hour.
Despite the somewhat lenient explanation, Judge Barrie sentenced Banfield to a three-year community order, emphasizing the importance of monitoring his behavior and ensuring public safety in the future.
