A convicted paedophile attempted to ingratiate himself with children by asking them if they wanted to see his budgies.
Nathan Denning, 46, of Maesteg, Bridgend, was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for a number of offences including having sexual intercourse with underage girls and rape of an adult woman.
He was legally prohibited from having contact with children whose parents were unaware of his convictions but Denning would introduce himself to children playing in public and even took his pet budgies around with him in a cage so they could look at them. The sex offender's past was discovered by one of the children's mother who found an online article detailing his previous convictions and she called the police.
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A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard the woman's daughter was approached by Denning who asked if she wanted to see his budgies but when she asked her mother permission she was refused. The woman initially believed there was nothing sinister about the matter and thought the defendant was being friendly.
He was also seen approaching other children while in possession of the budgie cage and on another occasion he allowed another child to ride his bike.
After one of the children's mother discovered the article on Facebook police attended Denning's home on September 29 and he was arrested. In interview he admitted approaching the children between June and August.
The defendant later pleaded guilty to breaching a SHPO.
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The court heard about Denning's sexual offending which spanned from 1996 to 2016. In 1996 he was cautioned for having sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 and in 2000 he was sentenced to six months imprisonment for two offences of having intercourse with children under 16. Later that year he appeared before the courts again for failing to comply with the notification requirement.
In 2014 Denning was sentenced to two years imprisonment after he met a girl aged 10 following sexual grooming and in 2016 he was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for rape of an adult female. As a result of that conviction he was made subject to a SHPO indefinitely.
Sentencing, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said: "Your previous convictions show you to be a persistent and serious sex offender. You have committed offences against both adult women and children. Previous court orders and and sentences have not deterred you."
The judge said there was no other reason for the defendant to speak to the children involved in the breach other than his "sexual interest in children."
Denning was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment.
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