PETER BROWNE FROM BOURNEMOUTH AND KETTERING ESCAPES JAIL DESPITE 18 BREACHES OF SEX OFFENCES ORDER

In a case that has raised serious concerns about the enforcement of sexual offences prevention measures, Peter Browne, a 54-year-old man with connections to both Bournemouth and Kettering, narrowly avoided immediate imprisonment despite repeatedly breaching a court order designed to protect minors.

Peter Browne appeared before Northampton Crown Court where he faced sentencing for his numerous violations of a sexual offences prevention order. The court heard that Browne had committed a total of 18 breaches of this order, which was specifically put in place to prevent him from having unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16. Despite these serious violations, Browne was handed a nine-month jail sentence, which was suspended for two years, meaning he would not serve time unless he committed further offences during this period.

In addition to the suspended sentence, Browne was placed under a two-year supervision order, requiring him to comply with the directives of the Probation Service. The court's recorder, Sam Mainds, emphasized the importance of this supervision, stating, “During this supervision order you must do what the Probation Service requests you to do. They may request you do a course or live elsewhere. If you fail to do that you will be back before the court and you will go to prison.”

At the time of sentencing, Browne, who had previously resided on Miller Close in Kettering, had been in custody for 154 days. He informed the court that he planned to relocate to Bournemouth, a move that was likely considered in the context of his ongoing supervision.

His arrest was carried out by officers from the county child protection unit, who acted after discovering that Browne had been seeking the company of two 14-year-old boys. The investigation revealed that he had contacted these minors via text messages and phone calls. Due to his prior convictions for sexual offences against children, Northamptonshire Police had successfully applied in May of the previous year to impose a sexual offences prevention order on Browne. This order explicitly prohibited him from having any unsupervised contact with individuals under the age of 16.

In June, Browne pleaded guilty to 18 breaches of this order, which involved him contacting or being in the company of the two boys during a five-week period in March and April. The identities of the minors involved cannot be disclosed for legal reasons, but the case highlights the ongoing challenges faced by law enforcement in monitoring and enforcing restrictions on convicted sex offenders. Despite the numerous breaches, Browne's relatively lenient sentence has sparked debate about the adequacy of current measures to protect vulnerable children from repeat offenders.