Sex offender breached order by taking girls on pizza delivery runs

Alan Dobson, 39, was jailed for 16 months after Durham Crown Court heard that he “completely ignored” the Sexual Offences Prevention Order within four months of it being imposed.

Dobson has previous convictions for having sex with girls under 16 when he worked in a kebab shop in 1997, and for sexual activity with a girl under 16, for which he received a suspended prison sentence, in 2005.

Adrian Dent, prosecuting, said due to “concerns” over his behaviour, the order was sought by police and imposed by North Durham magistrates, in April.

It forbade him from having unsupervised contact with any child under 16.

But the court heard that while working as a pizza delivery driver he took girls for a ride in his car when making deliveries, in August.

Mr Dent said he bought the girls alcoholic drinks, took them to a McDonald’s takeway and to secluded woods and made “suggestive comments” to them.

He also allowed one of them to take to the wheel of his car on a delivery run, and, when he became aware police were looking into his activities, he told the girls to “cover up” for him.

Dobson, of Melville Street, Chester-le-Street, admitted eight counts of breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order and one of sexual assault.

Lorraine Mustard, mitigating, told the court: “The breaches are, perhaps, not the most serious, but he’s aware that taking these girls in his car when he was delivering pizzas is worrying.”

Miss Mustard added that the shop owner was aware of Dobson’s previous convictions when he employed him.

Jailing him, Judge Esmond Faulks told Dobson: “You took these girls in your car, bought them alcohol, made suggestive remarks and, clearly, this was ‘grooming’ them, in the hope of sexual activity.

“You completely ignored the order. These were flagrant breaches.”

The order was renewed indefinitely, while Dobson was disqualified from working with children and must register as a sex offender for the next ten years.