Sex Offender Who Hid from Police Jailed After Living with Kids
Craig Durrant busted for breaking strict court orders
Craig Durrant, 27, a registered sex offender, has been locked up for 15 months after breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and hiding crucial details from police. The Wisbech man was arrested in August after failing to follow strict rules designed to keep children safe.
Long list of conditions flouted
Durrant was first convicted of sexual offences against a child in 2016 and placed on the Sex Offenders Register. His SHPO banned him from unsupervised contact with girls under 16 without parental and social services consent. He was also barred from living with or contacting any girl under 16, using smartphones or internet devices without police knowledge, and had to report any new address or extended stays where children lived.
Police uncover lies and secret contacts
An unannounced visit by a Public Protection Unit officer on July 10 revealed Durrant wasn’t at home. A housemate gave officers a phone number not on record. Police later discovered he had been actively using WhatsApp on a smartphone he failed to declare, which helped them track him to an undisclosed address.
- Durrant was living with a woman and her two kids for almost a year—and she was due to have their baby.
- She had no idea about his past convictions.
- He also concealed an email address and bank card not reported to police.
Jail time and warnings for the public
Admitting three breaches of his SHPO and three failures to inform police of changes, Durrant was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court on 21 October to 1 year and 3 months behind bars.
“Durrant knew the rules and blatantly ignored them,” said DC Emily Heriot of the Public Protection Unit. “These measures protect children and communities. We urge anyone entering new relationships to use Sarah’s Law to check if someone has a history of child sex offences.”
Police vow to keep monitoring offenders and acting swiftly on any breaches to keep children safe.
