A convicted paedophile caught with a schoolgirl in his car walked free from court.
David Griffiths, 31, is not allowed to have unsupervised contact with children due to the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). He received the order when he was spared jail for causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and making indecent images of children.
Griffiths was also told to sign on the Sex Offenders Register when he was handed two years in prison, suspended for two years, in September 2017. But he breached his notification requirements and the SHPO when police spotted him driving a red Land Rover Discovery at "high speed".
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Martyn Walsh, prosecuting, said officers stopped the vehicle in Wavertree, at around 7.30pm, on September 7 last year. They found Griffiths at the wheel with a "young girl wearing school uniform" sitting in the front passenger seat, who was aged 15.
Liverpool Crown Court heard the girl was related to a young woman, who was the foster daughter of Griffiths' brother. Officers were speaking to Griffiths about his driving when they realised he was subject to the SHPO.
They then entered a home in the street he had been living at and recovered two mobile phones, which also fell under restrictions of the order. Mr Walsh said the phones had not been subjected to forensic examination by the police.
The judge, Recorder Ian Harris, commented: "There were difficulties with the PINs and identities. A curious tale, but I cannot make any adverse finding in relation to the use of those phones."
Griffiths admitted failing to comply with the notification requirements of the Sex Offender Register by not informing the police he had moved to Bannerman Street on September 5. He also admitted three counts of breaching his SHPO, by having unsupervised contact with the 15-year-old girl, failing to make the mobile phones available to police for inspection, and possessing the two devices.
Griffiths, now of Earle Road, Wavertree, pleaded guilty on the basis he had met the 15-year-old girl at nearby shops to collect items from her for a family member. He said he told her not to get in the car, but she got in anyway, and that she was only in the car for 10 minutes when he drove her back to the street where he was living.
Griffiths explained that he drove "erratically" and at high speed because he knew the girl shouldn't have been in the vehicle alone with him. He said the mobile phones belonged to his cousin who made them available for him to use, and he didn't realise he should have told his offender manager.
The court heard he has four previous convictions for six offences, included possessing cannabis with intent to supply in February 2018, for which he received an 18-month community order. Frank Dillon, defending, suggested the breaches were a product of "insouciance" - meaning a casual lack of concern - for the order "rather than calculation".
Recorder Harris said a pre-sentence report from when Griffiths was sentenced in 2017 noted he had an IQ of 65, numeracy and literacy issues, and "a lesser capacity to self regulate social behaviour". The judge said: "I think that has an effect on the degree of culpability."
Mr Dillon also pointed out his client had served the equivalent of a short prison sentence while on a qualifying home curfew. Recorder Harris told Griffiths he was "sailing close to the custodial wind" after avoiding prison sentences for his past sexual offences and drug dealing.
He said the author of a pre-sentence report said: "Mr Griffiths' recent offending highlights a disregard for sex offender registration, suggesting that he lacks awareness of the situation he is in and is willing to ignore preventative measures, put in place to reduce the risk he poses to others.
"It also demonstrates clear deficits in his thinking and behaviour. He's clearly not thought of, or he has chosen to ignore, the consequences of this offending behaviour."
The judge said: "If any of these offences had been linked with a more serious issue then I wouldn't have been able to suspend the sentence I'm going to impose on you." Recorder Harris said a psychiatric report placed him in an "extremely low range" of intelligence and a GP letter noted he cared for his mother, who is unwell.
He handed Griffiths 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, with a 25-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement to offer him "fairly intensive support", plus 100 hours of unpaid work and told him to pay £250 towards court costs.
Children concerned about abuse can contact Childline 24/7 on 0800 1111. Adults concerned about the wellbeing of children can phone the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 8005000.
Anyone concerned about their own behaviour, or that of a family member, can contact stopitnow.org.uk and get-help.stopitnow.org.uk
