JUDGE IMPOSES GPS LOCATION TAG ON CARLISLE MAN DEEMED A 'HIGH RISK' TO SEX WORKERS
A CARLISLE man who is deemed to pose a “high risk” to sex workers has been told his whereabouts will be electronically monitored for the next year.Ryan Batey, 29, has never been convicted of a sexual offence against any person but he was the prime suspect as police investigated various alleged sexual crimes – including rape and an attempted rape.
Though police took no further action on the allegations, they successfully applied for a sexual risk order that bans Batey from contacting female sex workers.
During an earlier court hearing before the city’s magistrates’ court, the defendant, of Hebden Avenue, Carlisle, admitted eight breaches of the order.
The charges all arose from him contacting sex workers.
He messaged the women between January 7 and January 18.
Police were able to prove the offending after they analysed the defendant’s phone, discovering that he had messaged or called the women, who advertise their sexual services online.
He had deleted the messages concerned.
The police received information on January 24 this year that Batey’s mobile was used to contact adult female sex workers.
When challenged, Batey said: “I’m sorry; I've been really struggling.” The police highlighted how they regard Batey as a “high risk” potential sex offender, against whom there were allegations of serious offending but the evidence was too weak for a trial.
A two-year jail term would be justified for the eight breaches, but Batey would serve a relatively short period.
Instead, a three-year community order was imposed, with a one-year GPS trail monitoring requirement to track his movements over the next year, should there be further allegations of contact or offending against sex workers.
Judge Michael Fanning emphasized that police and probation consider Batey a “high risk” offender, noting past allegations of serious offending such as rape and attempted rape, which did not lead to prosecution.
During the police application in 2023, four incidents were summarized, three involving sex workers, including an alleged sexual assault in November 2019 where he pushed an escort in a Carlisle hotel after refusing to pay.
None of the incidents resulted in a prosecution.
