GEORGE CROOKES CAUGHT NEAR WINDERMERE IN GRANGE-OVER-SANDS DESPITE SEX OFFENDER BAN

In a troubling incident that highlights ongoing concerns about the monitoring and management of convicted sex offenders, Geoffrey Crookes, a 79-year-old former magistrate and college lecturer, was found loitering in a children’s play area on the shores of Windermere, located in Grange-over-Sands. This occurrence took place during the first week of the summer holidays, a period when families and children are most active in outdoor recreational spaces. Despite having a court-imposed restriction, Crookes was spotted in the National Trust park while children played and swam in the lake, raising alarm among local residents and authorities alike.

Recognising Crookes, officers from Cumbria police quickly responded and arrested him. Crookes, who resides on Granby Road in Grange, admitted to being in the park but claimed that his presence was due to forgetfulness, attributing it to his advanced age. He explained to officers that he was a member of the National Trust and was simply enjoying a day out, expressing his happiness at seeing children engaging in play on the climbing frames and other equipment. However, he was reminded that he had previously been banned from such areas due to his past actions.

It was revealed that Crookes had a history of serious sexual offences involving young boys, with convictions dating back to the 1980s and 1990s. He had served two separate prison sentences for abusing young boys, including incidents in Fell Foot Park, where he had taken indecent footage of children swimming naked in the lake. His previous offences led to the imposition of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), which explicitly prohibited him from entering within 100 meters of any school, park, or play area. Despite this, Crookes had been in the restricted zone, breaching the terms of his SOPO.

Authorities monitoring sex offenders in the region noted a decline in Crookes’s physical and mental health in recent years. He now walks with a stick and has a power of attorney to manage his affairs, indicating a deterioration in his mobility and mental state. Due to these factors, he was deemed unfit to enter a plea regarding the breach of his SOPO. Nonetheless, Judge Michael Byrne found sufficient evidence to establish that Crookes had been present in the area when he was prohibited from doing so.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Byrne emphasized the importance of supervision for Crookes, ordering a two-year supervision order to be overseen by the probation service and local authorities. The judge’s decision underscores ongoing concerns about the risk posed by Crookes and the need for continued oversight to protect the community.

Looking back at Crookes’s criminal history, it is evident that he has a long and troubling record of sexual offences against children. In 2004, he admitted to filming naked children at Fell Foot Park, an incident reported by a concerned mother who subsequently alerted police. Crookes, then aged 67, acknowledged his guilt in taking indecent photographs of children under 13, including at least one boy, with whom he used a camcorder to record indecent images. His criminal record includes three previous convictions for sex offences, including a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence in 1987 for abusing young boys, a probation period in 1989 for indecent assault on a nine-year-old boy, and a 30-month jail term in 1998 for sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Bolton. These convictions highlight a pattern of predatory behavior that has persisted over decades, raising ongoing concerns about community safety and the effectiveness of monitoring systems.