January 14, 2022 1.23 pm This story is over 26 months old

Convicted paedophile back in jail after secret sleepovers with girlfriend – and two kids

He hid new relationship from police – and didn’t tell girlfriend about his convictions

Niall Wright was jailed for two years and four months. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police

A convicted sex offender from Lincoln who failed to comply with the Sex Offenders’ Register when he began a new relationship has been jailed for two years and four months, Lincoln Crown Court heard on Friday.

Niall Wright, 22, was made the subject of a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order after he was sentenced to four years youth detention in 2018 for offences against a child.

As part of the sentence Wright was ordered to comply with the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders Register.

The 2003 Sexual Offences Act requires offenders on the Sex Offenders’ Register to notify to their local police certain personal details and information, including their name, address, date of birth and national insurance number.

Lincoln Crown Court heard Wright was released from custody in April 2020 and later became involved in a relationship with a young woman without informing her of his convictions.

Laura Pitman, prosecuting, said Wright failed to disclose to the authorities that he was in that relationship and had stayed overnight on 20 occasions at her house.

Miss Pitman told the court two children were also present during some of the visits.

The court heard Wright had disclosed a previous relationship to his supervisor and had been told to tell her of his convictions.

As a result of his offending Wright was recalled to prison in September after the licence from his previous sentence was revoked.

Police began an investigation and discovered Wright had also spent other time with friends of his new girlfriend and their children, including one visit to a soft play centre.

Wright, formerly of Dixon Street, Lincoln, pleaded guilty to three offences of failing to comply with the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders’ Register and two offences of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The offences occurred between February 2021 and September 2021.

Leanne Summers, mitigating, told the court Wright met the woman during a very lonely time in his life and he did not want to lose that by disclosing his convictions.

Miss Summers said Wright had disclosed a previous relationship to his supervisor.

She added Wright had now spent over three months back in custody and there was no evidence he had acted inappropriately to any of the children.

Passing sentence Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight told Wright that she found him “manipulative.”

The judge said: “You did not tell the police you were staying at her house overnight and that children were sometimes present.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story referred to Wright’s 2018 conviction and described his victim as a “young girl”. This has now been changed to “a child” after further clarifications were brought to The Lincolnite’s attention.