3,000 dangerous violent and sex offenders living in Lancashire

Almost 3,000 dangerous violent and sexual offenders living in Lancashire's communities were being monitored by the authorities in the last 12 months, figures show.
The threats were sent via facebook.The threats were sent via facebook.
The threats were sent via facebook.

A report has shown 2,881 criminals are now being watched by Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) compared to 2,459 two years ago - an increase of nearly a fifth.

They include 2,050 registered sexual offenders who are required to notify the police of their name, address and personal details, and 843 violent offenders who have been jailed or detained in hospital for 12 months or more but are now living in the community under supervision.

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Tabs are also being kept on 12 dangerous offenders who do not fit into the first two categories, but have committed an offence in the past and are considered to pose a risk of serious harm to the public.

Around 31 offenders monitored by MAPPA breached their prison licence terms and one breached a sexual harm prevention order according to the statistics.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: “It is our priority to manage risk and protect our communities from the most serious sexual and violent offenders.

“The report clearly shows that the multi-agency arrangements we have in place continue to work effectively to manage those dangerous violent and sexual offenders. The success of MAPPA in Lancashire is down to our ability to work effectively in partnership both locally and at a strategic level, committing resources to safeguard our communities.

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“We will continue to build on the success of our current arrangements, in order to most effectively protect the public of Lancashire.

“Sometimes, despite complex and intrusive offender management plans, individuals subject to MAPPA do reoffend. On those rare occasions we will ensure that this is reviewed and lessons are learned.”

MAPPA sees probation, police and prison services work together to protect the public by managing the risks posed by the most serious sexual and violent offenders living in the community. A number of other agencies are also under a duty to co-operate with them, including social services, health trusts, youth offending teams, and housing and education authorities.

All MAPPA offenders are assessed to establish the level of risk of harm they pose to the public, and are put into one of three levels of risk management plans.

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As well as restrictions to their lifestyle, travel and access to children or the internet, sexual offenders receive unannounced visits by the police officers to monitor lifestyle, associations and any change in circumstances.

They are assessed and managed by the agencies which work together, sharing information and meeting to ensure that effective plans are put in place.

Level 1 offenders are managed by one or two partner agencies who share information about the offender with other organisations.

Level 2 offenders are managed by several partner agencies who attend regular meetings to discuss the offender.

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The most intensively monitored - level 3 offenders - are managed by several agencies and have the involvement of senior officers, who can authorise the use of extra resources such as surveillance or emergency accommodation.

The figures reveal four sex offenders, and one other criminals fall into this category in Lancashire.

The Safer Lancashire website acknowledges some offenders will be moved up and down the levels as it is not possible to eliminate all risks and some offenders will continue to pose a risk to others, but highlights the MAPPA process means can take every available measure to manage and reduce the risk.

The Mappa process meant that a pervert with 98 criminal convictions - 38 of them for sex offences against both adults and children - was jailed again after police caught him with a hidden laptop, which contained voyeuristic footage of a woman using the toilet.

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A court order had banned 65-year-old William Alfred Rogers, formerly of Market Street in Chorley, from having any devices capable of accessing the internet unless they were made available for police to inspect.

In July he lost an appeal against a sentence handed down to him last year.

He had also breached a sexual harm prevention order (SOPO), given to him in 2009 and amended in 2014, by being alone with a young child.

He was sentenced to 30 months behind bars for hiding the laptop, and a consecutive term of six months for being unsupervised with the girl.

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Rogers handed over two phones and a computer tower when he was visited by police in April 2016, and was arrested three months later after a friend he asked to upgrade his laptop found covert footage of a woman urinating.

Rogers pleaded guilty to both breaches of his order, but Preston Crown Court was told Rogers continued to ‘pose a high risk of harm to women and children’.

The Mappa process is believed to have helped protect a Blackpool mum-of-two who was horrified when police arrived at her home to tell her that her new flame was a convicted paedophile.

Child sex offender Charlie Oliver, 27, of Lindsay Court New Road, Lytham St Anne’s, failed to tell the woman, whom he met on Facebook, about his past.

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He was jailed for 11 years in 2011 for committing a sex offence against an 11 year old child, and for 20 months in 2014 for possessing indecent images, and is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order restricting his contact with children.

He was caged again for 15 months in December after admitting breaching the order and a charge of outraging public decency.

Just two months before his new relationship started, Oliver had exposed himself and performed a sexual act on the sand dunes as a group of people lay on the beach unaware.

He was arrested after being spotted by an ex police officer who was walking his dog on the beach, Preston Crown Court heard.

He was on bail for the offence when he struck up the relationship with the woman, who has two sons aged eight and 11.