Convicted sex offender who lied to children's football team about past is jailed
A convicted sex offender who breached court orders banning him from working with children has been jailed for 16 months.
Former paramedic John Cooper, 56, fell foul of disbarring rules including helping out at an under-15 football team between September last year and March, during which he even gave physiotherapy to a male player.
When the Football Association found that the defendant was disbarred he "lied" to team bosses claiming it was an "administrative error".
Stafford Crown Court heard he then failed to inform Staffordshire Police of the role and that this was in breach of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) given at Shrewsbury Crown Court in March 2017 for indecent assault. He had been given a two-year sentence, suspended for two years, for the crime.
The latest case involves breaches of the terms of the ban uncovered by officers in January when they were carrying out routine checks on Cooper, who was not at his address.
Judge Kristina Montgomery KC said at the time Cooper was on a break at a caravan park in Cornwall which he booked in a relative's name. He failed to tell the police he was going away and had not informed the site operator about his status as a registered sex offender. It was also found that he booked at the same site in 2018 without following the procedures.
In addition, Cooper had employed an underage person at his events business which he was also prohibited from doing under the terms of the order.
Judge Montgomery said his behaviour fell into category A of the sentencing guidelines, the highest category.
"These were persistent breaches of your SHPO with a degree of determination," the judge told him.
Cooper admitted four breaches of sexual harm prevention orders and admitted twice failing to comply with the terms of the Sex Offenders' Register at an earlier hearing and was sentenced on Thursday.
But the judge said due to his mitigation she would not activate the 2017 suspended term as Cooper had completed the unpaid work requirement and paid compensation. She also accepted that other adults were present when he was volunteering at the football club and he had not been alone with the players.
However, she jailed Cooper, of Farmdown Road in Baswich near Stafford for 16 months for the breaches. He must serve half the term before being released on licence with conditions and he must pay the victims' surcharge on release.
