Homeless Man Jailed for Sex with Vulnerable Teen

A homeless man who fled from justice after having sex with a vulnerable, intoxicated teenage schoolgirl has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

Laurence Joseph Stringer, 50, left his underage victim so traumatized by her ordeal that she took an overdose of paracetamol the following day. Stringer was initially granted bail after being charged with sexual activity with a child but promptly fled to the South Coast, spending two months on the run.

The court heard that on August 15, Stringer lured the girl, who has learning difficulties, back to his tent near a canal towpath on the outskirts of Hyde. Earlier that evening, she had been drinking with friends in the town center after an argument with her family.

Stringer, who was loitering in the area, invited the intoxicated girl to his tent, knowing she did not want to go home. After escaping from Stringer, the girl slept rough outside a B&Q store. Upon returning home, she took an overdose and was rushed to the hospital, where she disclosed the incident to the police.

A DNA match identified Stringer, and the victim later led police to his makeshift shelter in the bushes. Stringer, who has a previous conviction for unlawful sexual intercourse, was arrested on September 3 when his tent was searched. Officers found a scrapbook of pictures of young teenage girls, around 13 and 14 years old, torn from magazines.

Stringer's victim has been plagued by nightmares since the ordeal. His defense attorney, Neil Usher, argued that while Stringer had a prior conviction for sleeping with an underage girl, it was not a "regular" occurrence. He also maintained that Stringer did not rape the victim.

Sentencing Stringer, Judge Anthony Hammond stated, "Force or otherwise, you had no business having intercourse with a girl of that age. Had you been convicted of raping this girl, you would be facing a much harsher sentence. This was a girl with significant personality and intellectual challenges, and you took advantage of her."

Stringer was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life. Judge Hammond informed him that upon release, he would be required to keep police informed of his whereabouts, even if he returned to sleeping rough.

This case highlights the issue of bail-jumpers, as recently highlighted in an exclusive report by the Manchester Evening News. Currently, 1871 individuals, including at least one murderer and several sex offenders, are at large.