PAUL FEATHERSTONE FROM CHADDESDEN JAILED FOR BREACHING SEX OFFENDER ORDER NEAR DERBY

In October 2010, Paul Featherstone, a 43-year-old man residing on Wiltshire Road in Chaddesden, found himself back in legal trouble after breaching the conditions of his sexual offenders' prevention order. Featherstone, a convicted paedophile, had previously been banned from sleeping in the same household as children, a restriction that he deliberately concealed from his new partner, a 29-year-old woman, and from the authorities.

Featherstone’s deception was uncovered when another parent, who had encountered him while he was accompanying his partner’s children to school, became suspicious of his behavior. This concerned individual observed Featherstone acting in a manner that suggested inappropriate conduct towards a child. Further investigation revealed that Featherstone was still on licence following his 2006 conviction for two counts of sexual assault on a child under the age of 13. These offences had resulted in a prison sentence of six years and eleven months, and he was on supervised release at the time of the latest breach.

Derby Crown Court heard that Featherstone had become a paternal figure to his partner’s children, all under the age of eight. Despite the restrictions placed upon him, he had been spending significant amounts of time at his partner’s residence, which was in direct violation of the terms of his order. The police received information indicating his frequent presence at the property, prompting further investigation.

Prosecutor Alex Wolfson explained that Featherstone had admitted to three breaches of his sexual offender prevention order. The court was told that Featherstone had not disclosed his true circumstances to the probation service, which he was seeing weekly, and had instead lied about his whereabouts. This act of deception was described by Judge Andrew Hamilton as “complete and utter deceit.”

During the hearing, Nicola Hornby, representing Featherstone in mitigation, stated that he had voluntarily surrendered himself to police the day after social services had visited his partner’s home. She emphasized that Featherstone had made full admissions during police interviews and explained that he initially found it difficult to disclose his true situation to his partner, which contributed to the deception.

Judge Hamilton sentenced Featherstone to two and a half years in prison for his breaches. He highlighted the gravity of the situation, noting that Featherstone’s relationship with his partner’s children was inappropriate given his criminal history and the restrictions imposed upon him. The judge also pointed out that if Featherstone had been truthful about his past, the court could have considered allowing him to stay at his partner’s house legally. Instead, his dishonesty had led to his current incarceration.

Featherstone’s current sentence will run concurrently with his previous sentence, which is set to expire in July 2012, meaning he will serve his latest term alongside his existing imprisonment. His actions have underscored the ongoing challenges of managing convicted sex offenders and the importance of strict enforcement of preventative orders to protect vulnerable children in communities like Chaddesden and Derby.