PAUL MANLEY AND JOSEPH HAMPTON SHOCK PAIGNTON WITH GRAFFITI AND SEXUAL OFFENCES

In a disturbing series of incidents that have shocked the community of Paignton and Plymouth, two convicted offenders, Paul Manley and Joseph Hampton, have been involved in serious criminal activities that highlight ongoing concerns about public safety and the management of sex offenders.

In April 2020, during the height of the coronavirus lockdown, Paul Manley, a known sex offender with a lengthy criminal history, defaced a prominent war memorial located at the Hoe in Plymouth. The monument, which commemorates the city’s war dead, was vandalized with black boot polish, on which Manley scrawled his name and the year 2003. Witnesses reported that Manley, who was homeless at the time, had consumed several litres of cider before committing the act. When questioned by police, he claimed ignorance about his motives, stating he did not understand why he had written on the memorial.

Manley’s criminal record is extensive. He was previously sentenced to seven years in prison in 2007 for sexually abusing a teenager after getting him drunk in a park in Torbay. His history also includes breaches of court orders and violations of his Sexual Offences Prevention Order, which prohibits him from approaching within 100 metres of any school. Despite these restrictions, he was caught loitering outside Pilgrim Primary School in Stonehouse on February 26, 2020, an act that led to his arrest and subsequent court proceedings.

During his court appearance, Judge William Mousley QC sentenced Manley to six months in prison for criminal damage, emphasizing the damage caused to a heritage asset. Manley, who had no fixed address at the time, pleaded guilty to the charges of criminal damage and breaching his court order. He also admitted to failing to notify police of his whereabouts, a requirement for registered sex offenders. His criminal history includes 15 convictions for 31 offences, notably including five sexual offences and five breaches of court orders. His past crimes include an incident in Victoria Park, Paignton, in November 2006, where he and another man got a 14-year-old boy heavily intoxicated and then sexually assaulted him. Public intervention prevented further harm, but the incident remains a stark reminder of his dangerous history.

In a related case from August 2007, Paul Manley, then aged 44, and Joseph Hampton, aged 20, were convicted of getting a 13-year-old boy hopelessly drunk in Victoria Park, Paignton, and then sexually assaulting him. The court heard that the two men offered the boy a cigarette and some sherry, which they then forced him to drink, with the apparent intent of incapacitating him for sexual purposes. Witnesses observed the boy being dragged along the road, almost unconscious, and being kissed by both men while he was violently sick. The public’s concern was instrumental in preventing what could have been a far worse outcome for the young victim.

Joseph Hampton received a three-year prison sentence for his role in the assault, while Paul Manley was sentenced to seven years. Their actions have once again raised alarms about the safety of minors and the importance of strict enforcement of court orders against known sex offenders in the Paignton area and beyond.