Ellesmere Port sex offender sentenced

AN Ellesmere Port sex offender who failed to tell police of his change in address has been sentenced.

David John Reynolds, 71, of Straker Avenue, had previously pleaded guilty at the first opportunity at the magistrates court to failing to comply with the notification requirements of being on the sex offenders register.

Reynolds had been a registered sex offender since a Chester Crown Court order in 2001, with one of the requirements being he needed to keep police informed of where he was living.

At the time, police had gone to the Ellesmere Port address where Reynolds was staying on February 13, and believed he had been at that address “for some time”.

Enquiries were made at Reynolds’s previous address in Birkenhead, where they confirmed he had not been staying there since March 2020.

Reynolds’s partner initially claimed he had been living in Ellesmere Port since January 2021, but then a further statement said he had been there since March 2020, apart from a number of occasions where he had gone back to his old address following a fall-out.

In police interview, Reynolds fully admitted the offence, saying he had been “foolish and stupid”.

Appearing at Chester Crown Court on Monday, April 19, before Honorary Recorder of Chester Judge Steven Everett, Reynolds was sentenced to a 12-month community order, to include 30 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement.

He must also pay a victim surcharge.

Convicted sex offender did not tell police he had moved to Ellesmere Port

A convicted sex offender failed to tell police he had moved to Ellesmere Port.

David John Reynolds, 70, formerly of Birkenhead, pleaded guilty at Chester Magistrates Court on Tuesday, March 9 to failing to comply with the notification requirements of being on the sex offenders register.

Prosecuting, Alan Currums said Reynolds had failed to tell police he had moved to be with his partner at an address in Straker Avenue for several months.

Reynolds had been a registered sex offender since a Cheater Crown Court order in 2001, with one of the requirements being he needed to keep police informed of where he was living.

The court heard this was the seventh time Reynolds had breached the offence. After the sixth occasion, he was jailed for two years in 2018, meaning this offence had happened about 18 months after his release from custody.

On this occasion, police had gone to the Ellesmere Port address where Reynolds was staying on February 13, and believed he had been at that address “for some time”.

Enquiries were made at Reynolds’s previous address, where they confirmed he had not been staying there since March 2020.

Reynolds’s partner initially claimed he had been living in Ellesmere Port since January 2021, but then a further statement said he had been there since March 2020, apart from a number of occasions where he had gone back to his old address following a fall-out.

In police interview, Reynolds fully admitted the offence, saying he had been “foolish and stupid”.

Mr Currums said Reynolds had been “below the police radar, effectively”, and said it was important for police to know where known sex offenders were residing to keep monitoring them and provide reassurances to the community.

Defending, Catherine Higham said there were no objections to the case heading to Chester Crown Court for sentencing, and requested a pre-sentence report.

Magistrates agreed the case was too serious for them to deal with and sent it to Chester Crown Court on April 6. Reynolds was released on unconditional bail.