IAN MORTON FROM WREXHAM SENTENCED FOR BREACHING SEX OFFENDER ORDERS IN SHOCKING CASE

In December 2013, a serious case unfolded involving Ian Morton, a convicted sex offender from Wrexham, who was sentenced to prison after breaching court-imposed restrictions designed to protect the public from further harm.

Morton, aged 24 and residing on Hampden Road in Wrexham, had previously been convicted of sexual offences as a juvenile. Despite his criminal past, he managed to establish a relationship with a local family, which was deeply troubling to those involved. The family, unaware of his history, trusted him enough to allow him to babysit their children and even stay overnight in their home.

However, the situation took a serious turn when authorities discovered that Morton had violated the conditions of his sex offender registration and his Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO). At Mold Crown Court, Morton admitted to breaching these legal restrictions by failing to inform police of his current whereabouts and by having unsupervised access to children, actions explicitly prohibited under his court orders.

Judge Philip Hughes sentenced Morton to 10 months in prison. During the proceedings, it was emphasized that no new offences had been committed, and Morton's legal representative, Mark Connor, highlighted that there was no evidence to suggest Morton was grooming any children. Instead, Connor explained that Morton, who had a difficult upbringing marked by a troubled relationship with his mother and a lack of a paternal figure, simply yearned for a sense of family and belonging, which he had not experienced growing up.

The court was informed that the victims of Morton's previous offences, committed when he was between 13 and 15 years old, were of a similar age, and there was no indication that Morton had an ongoing interest in children. Prosecutor Emmalyne Downing revealed that Morton had received a five-year sentence in 2005 for the rape of a child, and he was released in 2010. After his release, he became friendly with a local family, gaining their trust to the extent that he was allowed to visit, stay overnight, and babysit their children, all without their knowledge of his past convictions.

When the authorities eventually disclosed Morton's criminal history to the family, they were shocked, betrayed, and deeply upset. The court heard that Morton’s earlier convictions included sexual offences dating back to 2002, with the most recent being a rape conviction in 2005. Despite his compliance with the law since then, his breach of the court orders was a clear violation of the legal protections put in place to safeguard the community.

Mark Connor, representing Morton, argued that his client’s actions were a mistake driven by a desire to find a family environment, rather than any malicious intent. He pointed out that Morton had not committed any new offences and that his past offences occurred when he was a teenager, with no evidence of ongoing predatory behavior. Connor suggested that a suspended sentence might be more appropriate, emphasizing Morton's troubled background and the lack of recent offending.

Judge Philip Hughes responded firmly, underscoring the seriousness of the breach. He noted that Morton had a history of sexual offences, including a conviction for rape, and had managed to infiltrate a family environment in contravention of court orders. The judge made it clear that such breaches would not be tolerated and that the message needed to be sent out loud and clear that violations of court restrictions are taken very seriously. Morton’s guilty plea to breaching the orders was acknowledged, but the court emphasized the importance of protecting the public from potential harm.

In conclusion, Morton was sentenced to 10 months in prison, serving as a stark reminder of the importance of strict enforcement of court orders related to sex offenders, especially in cases involving vulnerable children and trusting families in Wrexham.