A CONVICTED sex offender who fled the region ‘on his toes’ and lived in a tent for ten weeks has been given a suspended sentence.

Kristian Thompson claims he was beaten up by people who found out about his previous conviction before fleeing the region with the intention of killing himself.

Teesside Crown Court heard how he returned to Teesside to hand himself in after sleeping rough in the Midlands between December last year and the first week of February.

The 31-year-old was ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for seven years when he was convicted of exposure in April 2017.

Thompson was jailed six months after he threatened to urinate on a young woman before punching two of her friends in Saltburn.

At the time, he admitted exposing himself and pleaded guilty to three counts of assault after the incident.

The defendant found himself back before court for breaching the conditions of his notification order when he disappeared from his registered Stockton address after becoming abusive to support workers in May last year.

Sam Faulks, prosecuting, said: “The defendant told the woman to ‘f*** off’ and was abusive towards her because she didn’t knock when she entered. He was also seen bringing a female into that address, something that he wasn’t allowed to do.”

A further check was carried out at his address and he was not there before his tenancy was terminated at the end of November and had not registered a new address within three days while he was ‘on his toes’ for ten weeks, he said.

Mr Faulks said Thompson had 16 convictions for 33 offences but there was only one conviction for a sexual offence and that was exposure in 2017.

Thompson, of Westbourne Street, Stockton, pleaded guilty to breaching the terms of his notification order.

Jonathan Gittins, in mitigation, said his client had been struggling with his mental health after being attacked while living in Stockton after his conviction came to light.

The court heard how Thompson told a probation officer he intended to ‘take his own life’ when he went missing.

Recorder Simon Eckersley sentenced the defendant to eight months in custody, suspended for two years.

He said: “You were subject of aggression by a number of males and you left the address with the purpose of ending your life due to your mental health.

“You need to be aware that notification orders are important and there purpose is to protect the public – you need to notify the authorities about changes in your circumstances.”

Thompson was also ordered to attend rehabilitation activity requirement and take part in an alcohol treatment programme.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated Teesside Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054