October 2010

Paedophile, 43, was staying in house with four young children

A CONVICTED paedophile who was banned from sleeping in the same home as children has been jailed for staying with his new partner who had four young kids.

Paul Featherstone had not told the 29-year-old woman about his previous offence and sexual offenders’ prevention order he had been given as a result.

But the 43-year-old, of Wiltshire Road, Chaddesden, was discovered by another parent, who met him when he had taken his partner’s children to school.

Derby Crown Court heard that this person thought Featherstone had been “acting inappropriately towards a child” and subsequently discovered he was still on licence for two charges of sexual assault on a child, under the age of 13, in 2006.

Jailing Featherstone for two-and-a-half years, Judge Andrew Hamilton, said: “You formed a relationship with a woman, who thought you were a very nice person and she trusted you implicitly with her children.”

Judge Hamilton said if Featherstone had told the woman about the offence then they could have made an application to the court for him to stay at her home.

But he said Featherstone had instead deceived the probation service, who he was seeing on a weekly basis, about where he was staying.

Judge Hamilton said: “It was complete and utter deceit on your part.”

Alex Wolfson, prosecuting, said it seemed that Featherstone had become a “father figure” to his partner’s children, who were under the age of eight.

Mr Wolfson said that as a part of the order made in 2006, Featherstone was “prohibited from seeking the company of a child, under the age of 18, or residing at an address where there were children under 18.”

He said: “Information came to police that he was spending a considerable amount of time at his partner’s house.”

Featherstone admitted three breaches of a sexual offender’s prevention order.

Nicola Hornby, in mitigation, said that Featherstone had handed himself into police the day after social services visited his partner.

She said: “He made full admissions in interview. Effectively, the defendant did not feel he was able to tell his partner initially and as things went on for longer it became harder and harder.”

In 2006, Featherstone was jailed for six years and 11 months and was on licence when he committed the breaches. When he was arrested last month he was recalled to prison to serve his whole sentence, which expires in July 2012.

He will serve his latest sentence at the same time.