Northampton man sent back to prison for meeting teenager and breaching release conditions

Lee Wickers-Fitzpatrick appeared at Northampton Crown Court on October 24 for sentencing, after he pleading guilty to two counts of breaching his SHPO and one count of failing to comply with his Sex Offenders’ Register requirements.

The 23-year-old was initially sentenced in 2022 to two years after sexually grooming who he believed to be girls, ages 12 and 13 but were actually decoys set up online by an anti-paedophile group.

Upon his release, Wickers-Fitzpatrick was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) – an order which is supposed to prevent a person from engaging in activities that could pose a risk of sexual harm.

However, on April 19, this year, a routine police visit at Wickers-Fitzpatrick’s home uncovered the fact that he had more mobile phones than he had declared. He was also found to be in possession of a passport that he had acquired and not informed police of.

As a result, he was charged with one count of breaching his SHPO and one count of failing to comply with his Sex Offenders’ Register requirements.

After being bailed to appear before the court to answer the charges, Wickers-Fitzpatrick was further arrested at the beginning of October after being found with a 17-year-old girl and also in possession of another mobile phone he hadn’t made police aware of. He was charged with another count of breaching his SHPO as a result.

Lead investigator PC Lauren Slinn said: “Not notifying police that you have a new phone may seem like a minor offence but we take a zero-tolerance approach to these kinds of breaches.

“I am pleased to see Wickers-Fitzpatrick jailed and I want to reassure the community that we will continue working hard to bring more people like him to justice.

“Over the years we have heard all manner of excuses from offenders including not being fully aware of their notification requirements, not having the time to tell us about a change in circumstances, as well as the fact they have simply forgotten.

“None of these excuses will ever wash and you will go back to prison if you commit a breach.”

Wickers-Fitzpatrick was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.