Sex offender travelled to Poland to visit girlfriend.

Sex Offender Risks Third Prison Sentence

A sex offender has put himself at risk of a third prison sentence in less than ten years after flying to Poland to visit a girlfriend without informing the police.

Frank Smith, 37, breached a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and his notification requirements by changing his bank details and adopting aliases while using the internet, again without informing a police monitoring officer.

Smith served a three-year prison sentence at Teesside Crown Court in May 2012 for grooming and having sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl, as well as for downloading indecent images of children. He was also made subject to lifetime registration as a sex offender and an indefinite SHPO.

However, within months, he moved from his family home in Blackhall Colliery, County Durham, to Town End Farm, Sunderland, after finding work at the nearby Nissan motor manufacturing works, but failed to tell monitoring officers. He also uploaded 17 indecent images of children to be viewed by internet chat room site users.

In conversations with those users, recovered by police, Smith boasted of having had sexual relations with girls aged 13 and 15, the latter being the reason for his 2012 prison sentence.

Smith was jailed for 32 months for those offences at Durham Crown Court in November 2016.

Laura Doherty, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court that police became aware he had traveled to Gdansk, Poland, in October 2020, without notifying police. It was also discovered he had used online alias names, one for an Xbox profile, and changed his bank account.

When interviewed, Smith admitted visiting his girlfriend in Poland and said he had not used any of the aliases for more than three days but conceded he had not informed police of any of them.

Smith, of High Street East, Sunderland, admitted three counts of failing to comply with an SHPO.

Barry Robson, representing Smith, said a probation report recommended the defendant should be subject to a rehabilitative course, which would serve the public better than a short prison sentence, during which he would not receive the same assistance.

Recorder Richard Wright QC agreed, saying the alternative would be a short custodial sentence. He told Smith: "The effect is I couldn't order you to do the work that I can on a community sentence."

Imposing the 18-month order, he said Smith should undergo a 40-day programme with the Probation Service. But he told the defendant: "I make this clear. I have, effectively, given you an opportunity because I consider it in the best interests of the public to deal with you in this way. Should you fail to comply, there won't be any further chances."