The convicted rapist had repeatedly ignored strict monitoring rules following his release from prison
Convicted sex offender Stuart Webster(Image: Humberside Police)
A convicted sex offender who sparked a police hunt after repeatedly ignoring strict monitoring rules hurriedly ran off – and climbed onto a roof – when officers finally caught up with him by pure chance. Serial offender Stuart Webster went missing after he was released from prison following a 10-year sentence for rape and an appeal for information on his whereabouts was launched by the police.
He had a “very poor record of compliance” with his duty to report to the police regularly but, when he was finally spotted, he quickly fled in a doomed bid to escape, Hull Crown Court heard. Webster, 42, of no fixed address, but recently in custody on remand, admitted two offences of breaching his requirements to notify his details as a sex offender on August 23 and October 10. He also admitted handling stolen goods on October 17.
Hannah Turner, prosecuting, said that Webster was convicted in May 2015 of rape and he was jailed for 10 years, with a duty to register indefinitely as a sex offender. He registered as having no fixed address in Doncaster on July 9 and he was supposed to attend a police station every seven days but he failed to do so.
He was arrested in Doncaster in August as he had failed to register. He was later circulated as being wanted because of again failing to comply with the registration order.
Police in Beverley were on patrol on October 17 when they saw him at the bus station. “Officers saw him and spoke with him,” said Miss Turner. ” He confirmed his name.
“He began to flee from the officers on foot. He was pursued by officers for some distance and the defendant ended up on the roof of a building – a low sloped roof.
“He dropped a bag that he was carrying with him. He was pursued further by officers and he was seen throwing items into a skip.
“He was detained in the Beverley area. Within the bag that he discarded were bottles of alcohol with the security tags still attached.
“He told officers that they were given to him by a friend, who had stolen them.” One of the three bottles was broken, the court heard.
Webster had convictions for 76 previous offences, including failing to register as a sex offender on July 10 and 17. He had been given a one-year conditional discharge on August 22.
Billy Torbett, mitigating, said that Webster pleaded guilty and he realised that he faced a prison sentence. He had spent about four months in custody.
“He knows that this has to be something of a crossroads sentence,” said Mr Torbett. “He has either got to sort himself out or he is going to be serving a life sentence in instalments. “He is remorseful and he knows that he needs assistance in custody. Regrettably, it’s the best place for him at the moment.”
Deputy circuit judge Timothy Clayson told Webster: “You have got a very poor record of compliance.” Webster, originally from Grimsby, was jailed for 14 months.
The sentence included a consecutive two months for breaching the conditional discharge that had been imposed for similar offences.