Sex offender jailed again after failing to tell police he had been released from behind bars

Benjamin Smith (29) was released from HMP Littlehey on October 18 last year.

Part of his sentence was being placed on the Sex Offenders Register, with specific requirements he must comply with.

The requirements stated upon his release from prison, within three days, he must formally notify police that he had been released and provide details of the address he would be residing at.

All registered sex offenders in the community are assigned to a member of the Public Protection Unit (PPU) to monitor them. Part of this includes carrying out unannounced visits at their home, accessing their electronic devices, speaking to them about their daily activity and making sure they are not in breach of any conditions imposed on them by the courts.

These requirements are in place to protect the public and ensure re-offending does not occur.

Three days after his release Smith had still not attended a police station to make the formal notifications, therefore a warrant was issued for his arrest.

On November 29 he was arrested near Thetford by Norfolk officers on Cambridgeshire police’s behalf and was charged with three counts of failing to comply with notification requirements of the Sex Offenders Register, failing to complete an initial notification upon release from prison, failing to notify police you were staying at an address where children reside for 12 hours or more and failing to notify police you had stayed at three separate addresses for more than seven days in a 12 month period.

On Thursday Smith appeared at Peterborough Crown Court where he was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison for each breach, to run concurrently to each other.

DC Scott Lloyd, from the north Public Protection Unit, said: “Conditions are imposed on offenders by the courts in order to minimise the risk of re-offending.

“Part of the work we do in PPU is to monitor sex offenders and make unannounced visits at their home addresses. By Smith failing to notify us of his whereabouts upon his release from prison, he breached his order at the first opportunity.”