HANLEY SEX OFFENDER STEPHEN PROCTOR SENTENCED FOR FACEBOOK DECEPTION AND SEXUAL OFFENCES
In February 2021, Stephen Proctor, a known sex offender from Hanley, was subjected to a series of legal actions following his repeated violations of court orders and his continued engagement in inappropriate conduct involving minors.Proctor, aged 54, had previously been convicted of a sexual offence involving a 15-year-old girl, which resulted in a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for a decade and was legally required to inform authorities of any new identities or social media accounts he created.
Despite these obligations, Proctor engaged in further misconduct, leading to his recent sentencing.
Police officers from Stoke-on-Trent conducted a routine visit to Proctor’s residence in October.
During this visit, they discovered on his computer a Facebook profile under the alias ‘Jenny’.
Prosecutor Mark Brookes explained to the court that Proctor claimed he had created this account due to issues he was experiencing with other social media users.
However, the investigation revealed that Proctor had been actively using this fake profile to contact his previous victim and witnesses from his 2019 case through Facebook’s private messaging system.
Specifically, Proctor had initially used the ‘Jenny’ account to reach out to the mother of the victim’s boyfriend in November 2019.
Subsequently, he sent a friend request to the now 16-year-old victim herself, followed by three messages in September 2020.
The court heard that Proctor had also established additional fake Facebook profiles under the names ‘Michael’ and another male in his late 20s, using photographs of men in their 30s.
One of these profiles boasted over 1,272 friends.
Importantly, Proctor failed to notify the police about any of these accounts, breaching his legal obligations.
Furthermore, Proctor had set up a bank account without informing authorities, another violation of his notification duties.
When arrested, he admitted to creating these profiles and setting up the bank account, acknowledging that he had done so to avoid harassment from the victim and witnesses related to his 2019 conviction.
During police interviews, he also admitted to messaging the victim’s partner and engaging in conversations with the victim and witnesses using these false identities.
However, he was unable to explain why he had chosen to use images of attractive young men for his fake profiles.
The victim of the 2019 offence provided a victim impact statement, revealing that she had suffered panic attacks as a result of Proctor’s continued contact and harassment.
The court took these factors into account when sentencing.
Judge David Fletcher sentenced Proctor to a total of 30 months in prison.
This included 20 months for breaching notification requirements, with an additional 10 months to be served consecutively, stemming from his original suspended sentence.
Additionally, Proctor was issued a five-year restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting the victim or her family during that period.
In a separate incident in November 2019, Proctor, working as a takeaway delivery driver from the Midlands, was convicted of a disturbing act involving a 15-year-old girl.
He had previously been convicted of sexual offences and was working in this capacity when he formed a relationship with the teenage girl.
Over a span of five weeks, Proctor engaged in inappropriate conduct, including giving her cigarettes and money, taking her to the seaside, and using his work vehicle to spend time with her.
The court heard that Proctor’s actions culminated in him kissing the girl on the lips after declaring, “I have been dying to do this.” Prosecutor David Bruce described how Proctor had grabbed her face and kissed her, expressing his feelings in an unsettling manner.
The court found that Proctor knew her age but continued his inappropriate behaviour.
Proctor, of Northwood Court, Hanley, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, for this offence.
As part of his sentence, he was ordered to complete a sex offenders’ programme, adhere to a 12-week electronically monitored curfew from 8 pm to 5 am, and was placed under an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
He remains on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.
Judge Fletcher emphasized the seriousness of Proctor’s actions, stating, “You kissed her on the mouth.
If you think it is appropriate for a man of your age to have contact with a girl of that age then you are someone who simply does not understand the parameters of appropriate behaviour.
You have previous convictions which show you are aware of where the appropriate lines are, and you have crossed them.
You must avoid that sort of temptation.”
