Stephen Brian Walton

Stephen Brian Walton, aged 54, appeared at Carlisle Crown Court after failing to comply with the notification requirements imposed on him as a registered sex offender. In 2001, Walton was convicted of indecently assaulting a girl under the age of 14, leading to an indefinite order to sign the sex offenders' register. Under these terms, he is required to inform police of any changes to his circumstances, including his homeless status, every seven days.

The court heard that Walton had registered his 'no fixed abode' status on 29 October, but failed to do so the following week, resulting in his arrest. At the time of the breach, Walton was living in a remote area up a mountain, though he now resides in a tent in woods approximately one mile from Keswick in the Lake District. This was not his first offence of this nature; Walton has appeared in court on five previous occasions for similar failures or for breaching the strict conditions of his Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).

• In 2015, while living and working at a bar in Windermere, Walton checked in with police three days late.
• In 2018, he violated his SOPO by purchasing bottles of wine from a supermarket in Kendal for two girls aged 14 and 15.
• In early 2019, Walton received a community order from South Cumbria magistrates for harassing a neighbour in Kendal, which involved playing loud music, kicking at the neighbour's front door, posting handwritten notes, and attending the property in an intoxicated state.

Defending Walton, Brendan Burke explained the recent failure: 'He tells me he was ill with food poisoning at the time. He now lives in a tent in woods one mile from Keswick. At the time he failed to register, he was not living there - he was living in a more remote area up a mountain.' Burke noted that since the one-week lapse, Walton has been diligent, travelling to sign in weekly at two different police stations, and urged the court to view the incident as 'a non-deliberate aberration.'

Judge Julie Clemitson imposed a nine-month conditional discharge on Walton, warning him sternly: 'If you fail to comply with the requirements, you will be re-sentenced for this offence in a way which would be much more punitive.' The case was reported by The Westmorland Gazette, highlighting ongoing concerns about compliance among registered sex offenders in the region.