A SEX offender from County Durham breached notification requirements by using “aliases” when attending hospital and booking into a guest house, both in Scotland.

Luke Joseph Connor, 39, of Front Street, Burnhope, was made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and to registration as a sex offender on his release from prison, in January 2015.

It required him to notify police of his whereabouts and prohibited use of false names

Durham Crown Court heard that police in Ayrshire received a “high risk missing persons notification” over his whereabouts, in May.

Neil Jones, prosecuting, said it emerged Connor attended hospital in Kilmarnock on May 5 suffering a broken ankle and signed in using his brother’s name and a different Durham address.

He later checked into a guest house in Irvine as Luke Bell, but paid the bill using his own debit card.

The defendant admitted failing to comply with notification requirements.

Oliver Connor, mitigating, said it was his only breach in six years and when he discovered he was wanted by police in Scotland, returned and handed himself in..

He added that his client had, “no idea” he was in breach.

Judge James Adkin said it was, “inescapable” the defendant twice deliberately used a false name, but no apparent harm arose from it

He imposed a 12-month community order during which Connor must undergo ten activity days with the Probation Service, “as a reminder” to comply in future.

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