STUART TOWNSEND FROM MAGHERAFELT AND COOKSTOWN ADMITS BREACHING SEX OFFENDER ORDER WHILE ORGANIZING CHARITY NIGHT

In a recent development at Derry Magistrates Court, Stuart Townsend, a convicted sex offender residing in Magherafelt and originally from Cookstown, has pleaded guilty to multiple breaches of a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO).

Townsend, who lives on Parkmore Road in Magherafelt, was found to have committed seven separate violations of the court-imposed restrictions between November 11 of the previous year and January 17 of this year. During the hearing, the prosecution withdrew six other charges related to breaches of the same order, leaving the seven charges to be addressed.

It was previously established that Townsend had violated the terms of his SOPO by sending numerous text messages to fellow students at Derry’s North West Regional College, where he was enrolled in a hospitality course. One student reported receiving as many as 400 messages from Townsend, despite the fact that he is explicitly banned from using or possessing a mobile phone as part of his court restrictions.

Townsend, aged 20, was jailed in November 2010 after being convicted of sending sexually explicit messages to teenage boys. Despite his previous conviction and the restrictions placed upon him, he has been actively attempting to organize a fundraising event purportedly in aid of the NSPCC, scheduled for this weekend. Evidence indicates that Townsend has gone to considerable lengths to promote the event, including setting up two social networking profiles, selling tickets, and printing promotional posters.

However, reports suggest that the event is not genuine. Despite being prohibited from using a mobile device, Townsend has openly discussed using a mobile phone and messaging applications such as Blackberry Messenger on his social media pages. He has even publicly tweeted his alleged mobile number, including to a celebrity, which raises questions about his compliance with the court order.

Furthermore, Townsend created a Facebook event page featuring photographs of some of the contestants, including several young women and men, some of whom are teenagers. He also claimed that Bradley Johnson, a star from X-Factor, would be performing at the event, although the NSPCC has clarified that they are not associated with the event in any capacity. The charity confirmed they received an email earlier this week inquiring about the possibility of holding an event in Derry city that weekend, but they have no connection to Townsend’s plans.

Other local charities in Derry have also reported being approached by Townsend regarding similar events. Additionally, a request was made to Derry City Council to host an event in Guildhall Square over the May Bank Holiday weekend. The council has confirmed that they are currently reviewing the request and will respond to inform the organizer that any event in the Guildhall Square must be approved through the Department for Regional Development (DRD).