A SEX offender breached restrictions imposed on him by befriending three mothers of young children.

Simon Evans failed to comply with the terms of a sexual offences prevention order (sopo), which prohibits him having unsupervised contact with children, during visits to the women.

John Gillette, prosecuting, told Durham Crown Court that Evans became friendly with the mothers of the children via the internet chat room site UK Chatterbox and went on to form relationships with them.

But none of the three mothers of the children with whom Evans had unsupervised contact were aware of his background and the restrictions imposed on him by the sopo.

The court was told Evans, now 44, was jailed for four years at Stafford Crown Court in 1992.

Since his release he has undergone sex offender treatment programmes, but due to “concerns” raised by Cleveland Police, Evans was made subject of the sopo “until further notice” at Hartlepool Magistrates’ Court, on April 14, 2010.

The terms of the order forbade him from having contact with anyone aged under 18, unless supervised by a trained person from the local authority.

Evans, of Wetherburn Avenue, Murton, County Durham, admitted four counts of breaching the order.

Jim Withyman, mitigating, said Evans contacted many childless women via the internet, and claimed his interest was in the adults, not the children.

He said the terms of his registration, on the Sex Offenders’ Register, allowed him up to 12 hours contact with children supervised by their parents.

But this was not allowed under the terms of the sopo.

Jailing him for two-years-and-six months, Recorder Deborah Sherwin described Evans as “manipulative and dangerous”.

A restraining order was imposed forbidding Evans from contacting or approaching any of the three mothers in the case.