A Newcastle court has jailed a registered sex offender who was caught posing for pictures with children while dressed as Santa Claus.
Stephen Brown was sentenced to six weeks by Bedlington Magistrates’ Court for breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) for a second time.
The Chronicle Live reports security staff at Fenwick's on Northumberland Street in the city centre contacted police after they became concerned about Brown's activities outside their shop window.
The 40-year-old was parading nearby offering to pose for pictures with children for cash while dressed as Father Christmas, reports Chronicle Live.
Brown was released from prison in January 2017 after being jailed for five years for possession of indecent images and inciting a child to engage in a sex act.
In 2012, a court was told that Brown had encouraged a teenage girl to perform sex acts via an anonymous social media account and threatened her when she refused to carry out his demands.
The schoolgirl contacted police who identified Brown as the user and arrested him at his home, where officers discovered a number of indecent images of children.
He was arrested and convicted of 14 offences including possession of indecent images, making an indecent image and inciting a child to perform a sex act.
Speaking after Brown's most recent conviction and sentencing, Northumbria Police's Steve Wykes praised the actions taken by Fenwick's security staff.
"Stephen Brown would not have looked out of place on Northumberland Street this weekend dressed as Santa Claus," the chief inspector said.
"There has been a fantastic atmosphere in the city in the lead-up to Christmas and thousands of people were in the area doing their shopping.
"Many people would have walked by Brown and thought that it was perfectly normal for him to be offering people the chance to pose for a picture.
“But security staff at Fenwick knew something wasn’t quite right and have contacted our officers who checked his details and took decisive action.
“Brown’s SOPO stated that he was not allowed any contact with children unless he had the consent of a parent or guardian who was aware of his convictions.
“We believe two people posed for a picture with him but it was clear they had no idea he was a convicted paedophile and he knew what he was doing was wrong.
“He will spend Christmas in prison and I hope that sends a strong message to both Stephen Brown, and anyone else who is subject to a similar order.”
Anyone with concerns about this incident can contact the Newcastle City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team by emailing newcastlecentral.npt@northumbria.pnn.police.uk.
