CREWE SEX OFFENDER BRIAN NORTH BANNED FROM BEING ALONE WITH CHILDREN AFTER PREDATORY BEHAVIOR

In a significant legal development, Brian North, a 51-year-old convicted sex offender residing in Crewe, has been formally prohibited from being alone with children under the terms of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order issued by South Cheshire Magistrates Court on Friday.

During the court proceedings, North was characterized as a 'predator' by authorities, with evidence suggesting that he engaged in grooming vulnerable young children by establishing relationships with their mothers first. The prosecution highlighted North's long history of sexual offenses, which spans over two decades, involving the abuse of children under the age of 14.

Details of North's criminal past reveal a troubling pattern. His first conviction for indecency dates back to 1972, and he was subsequently placed under a probation order seven years later. In 1997, North received a six-year prison sentence after being found guilty of ten separate offenses, including indecent assault on minors. He was released from incarceration in November 2000, but his past actions continue to cast a shadow over his current conduct.

The court's order explicitly restricts North from having any unsupervised contact with children under 16, a measure prompted by serious allegations of sexual grooming. Child protection officer PC Louise Wynne provided testimony indicating that North had failed to disclose his contact with children since his release from prison, which constitutes a breach of the sex offenders register.

Further investigations revealed that North had maintained regular contact with a family in Crewe for more than two years. All three children in that family reportedly made allegations of sexual assault against him. PC Wynne explained that North had a tendency to infiltrate families, particularly targeting single mothers facing financial difficulties, whose children were deemed vulnerable.

She described how North had integrated himself into the family unit, gaining their trust and reliance, which he then exploited as a means to potentially commit further abuse. "I believe that in the first allegation I investigated, he had immersed himself in that family as if he was a legitimate member of that family. They trusted him and began to rely on him, and he used that as a way of ingratiating himself further into that family and to possibly then abusing the children," she stated.

In response, defense solicitor Lisa Edmunds did not oppose the implementation of the order but argued that it should be limited to five years. However, Deputy District Judge David Gostling emphasized the seriousness of the case, declaring that the order would be indefinite. He remarked, "The onus is on him to show he has changed."

Additionally, police had sought a gagging order to prevent North's identification, citing concerns that revealing his identity could lead to targeted attacks against him and cause him to go into hiding, thereby evading law enforcement. Judge Gostling dismissed this application, asserting, "I find the respondent to have behaved in a dangerous and predatory way over a long period of time. His recent concealment of unsupervised contact with children must give rise to suspicions of targeted grooming."