May 2012

Pervert fined for driving work van

PAEDOPHILE Stephen Bryan breached his Sexual Offences Prevention Order – by driving a van without Staffordshire Police’s permission.

The former children’s entertainer was jailed for 18 months for sexually grooming a police officer posing as a 14-year-old girl on the internet.

The 48-year-old, of Honeywall, Penkhull, pictured, was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’Register for 10 years.

But Bryan, who works as a maintenance engineer at a supermarket in Stafford, breached that order by driving without Staffordshire Police’s permission while his colleague was on holiday.

Steve Knowles, prosecuting, told North Staffordshire Magistrates Court: “Under the terms of the order the defendant cannot use a motor vehicle without first notifying the Chief Constable of the area he is living in.”

He said Bryan, who used to work as a face painter before being sent to prison in 2008, only drove the van for two weeks. Mr Knowles said: “What he did not do was inform the police about that situation.”

Bryan pleaded guilty to using a motor vehicle without prior notification to the Chief Constable between July 14 and July 28 which he was prohibited from doing by an order made at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

Simon Dykes, defending, said his client had driven the van on a “very temporary basis” as part of his job.

He added the offence was at the lower end of the scale.

Mr Dykes added “While his colleague was away he drove the van but neglected to tell the police about this.”

Bryan, formerly of Blurton, was jailed after he groomed an undercover police officer posing as teenage ‘Suzie’ on the internet.

He arranged to meet Suzie within a month of making contact with her on an instant internet messaging service.

But when he arrived for the meeting in Manchester he was arrested.

It also emerged that Bryan was jailed for a year in the U.S. in 2000 for a similar offence and was deported back to the UK.

He then worked part-time doing children’s parties for youngsters aged from five to 10 before being caught again.

After Bryan was sentenced for the grooming case, Chief Inspector Harry Harrison, of Greater Manchester Police, said the defendant displayed “predatory sexual behaviour” and was “clearly a danger to any child he has ever worked with”.

North Staffordshire Magistrates Court yesterday ordered Bryan to pay fines and costs totalling £360 for breaching the order.