Convicted Sex Offender Jailed for Posing as Single Mum Online

A convicted sex offender who posed as a single mum looking for an au pair online has been sent back to prison.

Peter Smith, 43, was jailed in 2012 after trying to abduct two women three months apart while armed with a knife and sexually assaulting one of them.

As a registered sex offender, Smith was required to notify police of his details for monitoring purposes. However, during a routine check on March 15, 2023, officers discovered disturbing activity.

Smith had created a fake profile on the website aupair.com, pretending to be a single mother named Alex seeking an au pair. He then moved the conversations to WhatsApp, continuing to pose as a woman. He also created a Facebook profile under the alias Liam Smith, failing to inform the authorities about the username.

This month, Smith admitted to two charges of failing to comply with notification requirements and was sentenced to 12 months in prison by magistrates. He was also ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £187 surcharge to fund victim services.

A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman stated: "Registered sex offenders are very closely monitored by our management of sexual or violent offenders team (MOSOVO). This means regular unannounced visits to the offender's home to ensure they are abiding by all of their conditions. If they are not, we do not give second chances and all offences will be dealt with robustly."

"Our team work really hard every day to ensure sex offenders are rigorously managed and if any breaches are identified we are very swift in dealing with them. I hope this case is a lesson to other sex offenders that our processes will always find you out. And that you will be sent to prison as a result."

Convicted sex offenders must register with the police upon conviction or release from prison for a specified period determined during sentencing. They are required to provide details including their name and aliases, address, bank details, passport, and whether they live with a child. They must also renew these details annually.

Failing to comply with these requirements is punishable by up to five years in prison.