Belfast civil servant guilty of breaching a child sex crimes order

BELFAST CIVIL SERVANT GUILTY OF BREACHING A CHILD SEX CRIMES ORDER

Peter Crawford, a former civil servant, has been found guilty of breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (Sopo) by approaching within 100 meters of children on Royal Avenue in Belfast city centre.

Despite a court ban, he had been handing out origami animals to children at a cultural hub on the street and was acting suspiciously sitting close to a children's play area.

Police discovered him with a large bag of sweets during a search.

Crawford previously committed offenses involving hundreds of images of child abuse in 2004, for which he received an 18-month prison sentence.

His address was near a home for vulnerable families operated by the Depaul charity, and police were alerted after it was found he was living nearby, breaching his court order.

The judge ordered a pre-sentence report and confirmed he would return for sentencing on September 4.

Crawford was subject to strict requirements following his earlier convictions, including a ban from being within 100 meters of places where children are present.

The court acknowledged he had little social contact and rarely leaves his house.

The outcome was a guilty plea, and he was remanded on continuing bail as he awaits sentencing.

The judge highlighted the severity of his breaches and previous serious offenses involving child images.