SEX OFFENDER, 85, WHO STAYED OVERNIGHT IN HAMILTON PUB DODGES JAIL AFTER BREACHING COURT ORDER
An elderly sex offender evaded imprisonment after breaching a court order by spending the night in a pub in Hamilton without informing authorities.William Powell, aged 85, had traveled from his residence in Northern Ireland to meet another individual involved in criminal activity in Motherwell.
He confessed to violating a sexual offences prevention order by checking into a pub without consent from his designated risk manager.
This order was issued in County Antrim in October 2020, following Powell's 28-month prison sentence for sex-related crimes.
The restrictions prohibited him from changing residence or staying overnight away from home without approval.
While he faced a potential sentence of up to five years for breaching this order, he was instead admonished by the court due to the peculiar circumstances surrounding his actions.
Hamilton Sheriff Court was told that police visited a property in Motherwell in February of the previous year to conduct a review on a sex offender.
There, Powell claimed he was assisting someone in moving into the house and stated he was homeless and planned to stay with that person.
Further investigation revealed Powell’s criminal history, and authorities in Northern Ireland were not aware that he had traveled to Scotland and subsequently booked an overnight stay in a pub.
