DEREK HORNETT AKA JAMES DEFALCO: DEVON SEX OFFENDER SENT BACK TO PRISON FOR REPEATED BREACHES IN EXETER AND TEIGNMOUTH

In a series of disturbing incidents spanning several years, Derek Hornett, also known as James Defalco, a notorious sex offender from Devon, has been repeatedly found violating court orders and engaging in dangerous behaviors that pose a significant threat to the community. His latest sentencing underscores the severity of his persistent criminal conduct and blatant disregard for legal restrictions designed to protect the public.

Hornett, aged 59, has a long and troubling history of sexual offenses, including infecting women with HIV and breaching court-imposed restrictions. His criminal record dates back to the late 1980s, beginning with a conviction for having sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl. Over the years, he has been involved in multiple offenses, including serious breaches of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPOs) and notification requirements related to his HIV status.

In 2005, under the name Derek Hornett, he became one of the first individuals in Britain to be convicted of recklessly infecting someone with HIV. He admitted to knowingly infecting an 82-year-old woman, which led to a prison sentence of three years and three months. This case was particularly notable because it involved deliberate transmission of the virus, and Hornett was subsequently placed under a SHPO that prohibited him from having sex without disclosing his HIV status. Despite this, he continued to breach these restrictions multiple times.

His pattern of violations includes befriending vulnerable women through online platforms and in person, then engaging in sexual relationships without informing them of his HIV status. In 2015, he was jailed for four years and nine months after he again failed to disclose his condition to a 65-year-old woman with whom he had a sexual relationship. The court was told that Hornett had tested negative for HIV at that time, but his repeated breaches raised serious concerns about his ongoing risk to others.

Hornett’s criminal activities extended beyond breaches of sexual health orders. He was also found to have introduced convicted paedophiles to families with young children, thereby exposing vulnerable minors to potential harm. His actions included taking a nine-year-old girl out alone in his car and sharing a tent with her in a family’s garden, all while failing to disclose his criminal background. These behaviors prompted authorities to impose strict restrictions, including a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) that prohibited him from unsupervised contact with children under 16 and required him to inform guardians of any children he encountered.

His history of breaches is extensive. Within just 12 days of being released from prison in 2019, Hornett, then known as James Defalco, went to the home of a woman in Paignton, Devon, whom he was banned from seeing. He knocked on her door and identified himself by saying, “It’s me,” prompting her to contact the police. His arrest followed, and he admitted to breaching his SHPO. Today, at Exeter Crown Court, Recorder Malcolm Gibney sentenced him to four years in prison for this latest violation, emphasizing Hornett’s persistent pattern of ignoring court orders.

During the sentencing, Recorder Gibney described Hornett as a “persistent offender” who was “patently prepared to ignore court orders which are there for the protection of the public from very serious harm or distress.” The court’s records reveal that Hornett’s criminal history includes multiple breaches of the same orders, as well as previous convictions for assault, dishonesty, and child sexual offenses dating back to the 1980s.

His earlier convictions include a 1989 case where he was jailed for having sex with a 15-year-old girl, which led to a ban on spending time alone with children. In 2005, he was convicted of infecting an 82-year-old woman with HIV, a case that drew significant media attention due to its severity. Despite his incarceration, Hornett continued to breach restrictions, including a 2014 incident where he traveled to the Channel Islands without informing authorities, violating notification requirements of his SOPO. Magistrates in Torquay imposed a community order and fines, but his breaches persisted.

In 2014, Hornett was also involved in a disturbing incident where he spent a night in a tent with a nine-year-old girl, raising fears of grooming and potential exploitation. Authorities responded by banning him from any contact with children and from associating with known paedophiles, including Terrence Kelly and Michael White, both of whom had their own histories of sexual offenses. These restrictions aimed to prevent Hornett from establishing trust with families and gaining access to children, but concerns about his behavior persisted.

Most recently, in February 2019, Hornett, then living in Brixham, was jailed for two years and eight months after he was found to have breached his SOPO by having contact with a child under 16 without approval. His repeated violations, including failing to disclose his HIV status and breaching notification orders, highlight a pattern of willful non-compliance and dangerous conduct. The court heard that Hornett’s actions have caused significant distress and posed a serious risk to community safety, prompting the latest four-year sentence.

As Hornett begins his new term behind bars, authorities continue to emphasize the importance of vigilance and strict enforcement of restrictions for high-risk offenders like him. His case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges faced by law enforcement and social services in managing individuals with a history of sexual offenses and health-related risks, especially when they repeatedly breach legal safeguards meant to protect the vulnerable.