A PAEDOPHILE who sexually assaulted a boy and breached a previous suspended sentence by trying to change his name and creating new bank accounts has been jailed.
Matthew James Parker was convicted in 2019 of attempting to arrange or facilitate a sexual offence against a child – for which he received a suspended prison sentence and made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).
He was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely.
On Friday, September 29, 2023, Parker completed a notification requirement at a police station, but it was found that he had failed to disclose new bank accounts with a specified time period.
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The 45-year-old’s offender managers searched his home address and Parker was arrested.
Evidence of further breaches were found including attempts to change his name, travel outside the UK, the creation of new bank accounts and possession of internet-enabled devices.
Officers also found evidence that Parker had been in contact with a teenage boy. Further enquiries established that he had sexually assaulted the boy on separate occasions in 2022 and 2023.
In March, Parker, of Picket Twenty Way, Andover, was found guilty following a trial at Winchester Crown Court of four counts of sexual activity with a child for offences that took place between May 2022 and April 2023.
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He admitted to 15 breaches of his SHPO and his sexual offender notification requirements before the trial.
On Tuesday, April 30, at the same court, Parker was jailed for 14 years, with up to nine years in prison and five years on an extended licence.
A further three breaches of his order and notification requirements were taken into consideration at the sentence hearing.
Speaking following Parker’s sentencing, Detective Constable Michelle Carrig said: "Parker knowingly disregarded the conditions that had been imposed on him previously in order to abuse a teenage boy. He will now have to face the consequences with a lengthy period of imprisonment.
"We invest significant resources into the management of sex offenders and the protection of the public, and we take this duty very seriously.
"For those that choose to re-offend, every effort will be made to put them where they belong – in prison.
"Anyone who has any concerns at all about child abuse can contact us at any time – we recognise that not everyone has the confidence to speak to police, but there are support services available that can help you if you are a victim of abuse."
Anyone with concerns about child abuse can call 101 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
If you are not ready to speak to police but have experienced abuse in childhood, or are concerned about a child, you can contact the NSPCC helpline, confidentially, on 0808 800 5000.
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