TERRENCE MCDONAGH FROM ORFORD SENTENCED AFTER TEENAGE RUNAWAY FOUND AT HIS FLAT

In a case that highlights ongoing concerns about the supervision of convicted sex offenders, Terrence McDonagh, a 29-year-old resident of Toll Bar Road in Orford, has been sentenced to 80 hours of community service after breaching the conditions of his sexual offences prevention order.

McDonagh’s criminal history includes a conviction in July 2004 for unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 16. Following this conviction, he was subjected to a community rehabilitation order and was required to register as a sex offender for a period of five years. Additionally, in May 2006, the St Helens Magistrates’ Court imposed a further sexual offences prevention order on him, explicitly prohibiting any association with individuals under the age of 16. This order was issued after police raised concerns about a relationship he was suspected to have with a 15-year-old girl.

Despite these restrictions, the law was tested earlier this year when a 15-year-old boy went missing from a children’s care home on June 10. The authorities quickly tracked the teenager to McDonagh’s residence on Toll Bar Road. Prosecutor Joanne Parsons explained that police confirmed the boy had been at McDonagh’s flat. Once the boy was located unharmed at another address, McDonagh was arrested in connection with the incident.

During police interviews, McDonagh claimed that the boy was the brother of a girl who was dating a neighbour and that he had only been asking for a cigarette. He insisted he was unaware that the boy had run away or that he was under 16 years old. At the time of the court hearing, McDonagh appeared dressed in jeans and a hooded top. His criminal record also includes a previous conviction from 1999 for sexual intercourse with a girl under 16, as well as convictions for shoplifting and burglary in 2000 and 2001.

Judge Stephen Clarke, delivering the sentence, emphasized the importance of the restrictions placed on McDonagh. He stated, “This order was designed to stop him having any contact with girls under 16. If it was a young female who had been at the house, his feet wouldn’t have touched the ground, and he would have been facing two or three years in prison.” The judge also clarified that there was no evidence to suggest McDonagh encouraged the boy to leave or put him at risk, but nonetheless, the breach of the order was taken seriously, highlighting the ongoing efforts to monitor and control individuals with a history of sexual offences in the Orford area.