A Widnes woman discovered she had welcomed a sex offender into her home during a five-month relationship after she reported the man to police when their break-up turned sour and he began harassing her with abusive texts.
Warrington Crown Court heard that investigators discovered that Roger King, 49, of Shelley Road, Chester, was convicted of an offence involving what Judge Tina Landale described as ‘sexual violence’ involving ‘bullying’ in 2009 and was required to tell North Wales Police if he changed address.
King also had a past conviction for stalking a former partner.
His Widnes victim was unaware of this when the pair began seeing each other, culminating in King moving in with her at her home where she lived with her 19-year-old daughter.
Matthew Dunford said the relationship faltered when King became ‘more controlling’ and the woman ended it.
She reached the point where she no longer wanted contact from King and sent a text that said: “Leave me alone.”
Convicted stalker King asked her to restart the relationship and to marry him. He sent a further message saying he ‘had driven from Wales to see her’, and turned cruel, saying that her ‘parents never wanted her and neither did her first husband’.
The victim thought she saw him driving past her home three times, but the court heard this had not been the case.
She went to the police and in interview King admitted sending ‘unwanted’ messages and that the woman ‘would have felt harassed’.
King pleaded guilty harassment and failing to comply with a notification requirement.
The victim said she threw out her bed after discovering King’s past and has put her house up for sale.
She added that she suffered sleeplessness and feels unsafe when alone in the house or garden.
Discussing King’s past convictions, Mr Dunford said the defendant was sentenced in 2014 for stalking an ex-partner, including when she was ‘out and about’ or ‘collecting her children from schools’ and sending her ‘threatening texts’, and later received a 12-month community order for breaching a restraining order.
William Staunton, defending, said his client had a ‘genuine intention to lead a proper life’ and had hoped for a ‘positive relationship’ and this one was the ‘most positive’ relationship he had been in.
Judge Tina Landale, presiding, sentenced King to eight months in prison and slapped him with another restraining order in respect of his Widnes victim.
She rejected the need for a Sexual Harm Prevention Order because no offences of that type had taken place.
Sentencing King, Judge Landale said: “She tried to end that relationship.
“You refused to accept that and contacted her by text message.
“You proceeded to belittle and undermine her and causing her to become worried.
“You sent insulting messages saying nobody wanted her.”
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/