A paedophile tried to use a false name to contact his estranged son - but accidentally contacted his nephew. Mark Baddeley, 53, has previously been charged with indecent assault, having sex with a girl under 16, and has twice breached the sex offenders register.
He has once again been brought back before the courts after breaching the sex offenders register by using a false name to contact his son. Using the name Peter Smith, he said: "You are 16 now so you can contact me unless you believe all the b******. It is Mark Baddeley. I have had to do it by another name," StokeonTrentLive reports.
This resulted in police going to his home where he told a false story about what he had tried to do.
Prosecutor Antony Longworth said at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court: "The police went to the defendant's home address and he tried to pretend that he was not the Peter Smith who had used the account. He said he had tried to contact his son through Facebook. He said he would obtain the details and pass them to the police.
"He provided a number for a person that he said was Peter Smith to the police. The officer rang the number. Eventually a contact was made back to the officer but it was the defendant's other son.
"It was an entirely fictitious account. He knew he was not permitted to contact his son."
Baddeley, of High Street, Tunstall, pleaded guilty to breaching the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders' Register.
Defending Baddeley, Catherine O'Reilly, said there was a determined attempt to avoid detection. She said indirect contact between Baddeley and his son is allowed twice a year.
Miss O'Reilly said: "This attempt was not for nefarious or sexual purposes but in order to make contact with a relative. He wanted to contact his son. He has gone about it in wholly the wrong way. The sad fact is he could have contacted him."
Recorder Julian Taylor sentenced him to seven months in prison, suspended for 18 months, with a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
Recorder Taylor said: "This is the third time you have breached the order. On this occasion you were trying to contact your son. Your criminality was giving a false name. You should not have done that. You must be kicking yourself now."
For more of today's top stories click here.
READ NEXT:
