West Cumbrian sex offender prosecuted over failure to contact police

Lawrence Wilson, 36, failed to make the scheduled visit, claiming he believed he was due to check in with the police the following day, a defence lawyer told the city’s Rickergate court.

He admitted a single charge of failing to meet the requirements of his Sex Offender Registration requirement. Prosecutor George Shelley outlined the facts.

He said the defendant, whose criminal history comprises 223 previous offences, was last before a court on April 19 for downloading indecent images of children.

He was put on the Sex Offender Register for five years.

On April 25, the defendant contacted the police to tell them he was homeless and had no fixed address. In court, his most recent address was given as Queen Street, Whitehaven.

“He was therefore required to renotify his designated police station every seven days,” said Mr Shelley.

“But, on Thursday, May 2, he failed to attend the designated police station. In the early hours of the morning that day, Wilson was seen in the waiting room at Carlisle Railway Station.

Six days earlier, the court heard, Wilson’s offender manager had explained to him the requirement for him to attend his designated police station every seven days while he was homeless.

When he was interviewed by the police, Wilson said he believed he had complied with his registration requirements.

Chris Toms, defending, said the offence was in the lowest category of seriousness because the defendant missed the police station visit by one day only.

Referring to Wilson’s homelessness, the lawyer said: “It’s easy to get a little bit confused in that situation. We’re dealing here with a single day.”

Magistrates said they accepted Mr Toms’ submission and imposed a £200 fine, with £85 costs and a victim surcharge. Wilson was reminded that he remains subject to the requirements of being on the Sex Offender Register.

Read more: Man found guilty of making indecent images of children in Whitehaven