NORTHWICH SEX OFFENDER JAILED FOR BREACHING COURT ORDER
Sentencing December 2025; A sex offender given a chance to stay out of jail this summer squandered the opportunity by 'deliberately' breaching a court order less than two months after it was made.David Draycott, of London Road, Davenham, was handed a two-year suspended sentence in September for amassing an 'abominable' 50,000-strong collection of child sex abuse images.
In addition to his sentence, the 70-year-old was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order banning him from remaining in any household where a child under 16 is present.
But on November 15, Draycott called in at birthday party for a terminally-ill friend, staying for at least an hour in the presence of two children.
The paedophile appeared at Chester Crown Court on December 17 for sentencing on the breach, after previously pleading guilty before Chester magistrates.
His Honour Judge Berkson set out his stance, stating that his basis of plea was not to be accepted as ‘he could have left and come back at another time’.
It was deemed an exceptional, not emergency, circumstance.
The prosecution told the court Draycott had visited a neighbouring property to see a friend while there was a parent with two young children.
He did not inform them of his status as a sex offender, and while he said hello to the children, he was not left with them unsupervised.
Days later, Draycott told his probation officer that he was at the party and that 'they were teenagers,’ which was seen as a deliberate breach.
His defence highlighted his basis of plea, but Judge Berkson questioned why he didn’t leave.
The defence stated he hadn’t thought of the implications of staying, noting that it was the last party of a friend who died days after.
Judge Berkson acknowledged it was a deliberate breach, emphasizing that the order is in place to keep him away from children, but also accepted that he posed a low risk.
Draycott was sentenced to 12 months in jail.
——————————————————————— A CONVICTED sex offender from Davenham will be sentenced at Chester Crown Court for breaching an order made against him.
David Draycott, of London Road, appeared at Chester Magistrates Court on Friday, November 28, after he was arrested by police.
The 70-year-old is subject to a [sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) imposed on him by Chester Crown Court on September 24 this year.
He pleaded guilty to breaching the order by entering and remaining in a property where two children aged under four years old were present.
Lisa McGuire, prosecuting, told the court that Cheshire Police were informed by Draycott’s probation officer that he attended a party at a nearby address.
The court heard he said 'hello' to the children and he spent around an hour there on November 15.
He said in interview, Mrs McGuire added, that he knew the condition was ‘black and white’ and should have been kept to.
She said: “The offences were recent and he was jailed for 12 months, suspended for two years, for the possession, making and, taking pictures of young children.” Draycott was originally spared jail in September for being in possession of a total of 53,292 indecent images at the time of a raid at his home.
Included within them, there were 625 Category A indecent images/videos, 798 Category B images, and 51,869 Category C images between 2004 and 2024.
Catherine Higham, duty solicitor defending Draycott, asked for a lower categorisation for sentencing but Deputy District Judge Owen Jones said that was down to the sentencing judge.
He will be sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday, December 17.
