A convicted sex offender has appeared in court on charges of breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) over the course of seven years, and at the latter part of that, sexually assaulting a seven-year-old child.
John Thompson (70), with an address of Lisnavar Count, Derry/Londonderry is charged with breaching the SOPO by entering into a relationship and having contact with a child, without the prior approval of his Designated Risk Manager on dates between December 1, 2013 and February 6, 2020.
He is further charged with sexually assaulting the child on dates unknown between December 28, 2018 and December 27, 2020.
A detective constable from PSNI Public Protection Unit told Enniskillen Magistrates’ Court the charges could be connected.
She explained on December 20 the child attended with police after disclosing to her mother that Thompson had sexually assaulted her on a number of occasions when she was younger.
The mother also informed police she was present when Thompson was challenged on this and he admitted touching the child on around four different occasions.
As police enquiries commenced it was discovered Thompson is a registered sex offender with previous convictions on record.
This led to the discovery of the SOPO which was issued following conviction at Dungannon Crown Court on February 6, 2013, which banned Thompson from entering any relationship with a female without prior verified disclosure of his offending.
It further prohibited all contact with children.
The SOPO expired in February 2020 but throughout the majority of which he failed to disclose he was in a long term relationship.
Thompson was arrested and told police what the child had stated was accurate and he was “holding his hands up as he didn’t want her to have to come to court”.
However, he went on to say the child had “guided his hand and encouraged him to touch her sexually”, which he did even though he knew it was wrong.
Thompson did not directly admit the SOPO breaches but stated he told his partner he was not permitted contact with children.
He claimed he did not believe he was subject to the conditions once the probation period imposed on him had expired.
When the failures to disclose to police were put to him again, Thomspon again claimed he didn’t know he had to and was never asked about them, despite records indicating when spoken to by police in both 2018 and 2019 he advised he was not in a relationship and lived with his brother where no children were present at any time.
Opposing bail the detective said: “There are previous convictions which show a propensity for offending. Police have concerns that he believes a seven-year-old wanted this. It shows if there was an opportunity he may not be able to control himself.”
Urging bail to be granted the defence pointed to Thompson openly accepting the sexual assault at the earliest opportunity.
“Whilst his record is clearly an issue, the SOPO ended five years again and there was no offending of a sexual nature in the interim,” said the defence.
However, District Judge Barney McElhome was scathing, stating: “Someone so warped and devoid of normal human processing to suit his own needs, would be capable of reoffending. He believes that he had consent and that a seven-year-old child encouraged him to sexually abuse her. How could any moral human being believe that would be right? Anyone still holding that belief cannot be regarded as safe. I appreciate he would be released to a residence without children, but how far would he go to find them?”
Bail was refused and Thompson will appear again by video-link at Strabane Magistrates’ Court on January 15.
