Tai Mitchell

Tai Mitchell, a 22-year-old registered sex offender from Peterborough, was sentenced to 28 weeks in prison at Peterborough Crown Court on April 30, 2024, following incidents involving a vulnerable missing teenager.

On January 30, 2024, Mitchell had been issued with a Child Abduction Warning Notice (CAWN) by a judge, which prohibited him from any contact with the teenager after she was repeatedly found in his company. The teenager, who was under the care of carers, was reported missing on three consecutive nights in February 2024. On the third occasion, February 27, 2024, she was discovered inside a tent with Mitchell at the Embankment in Peterborough City Centre.

Mitchell pleaded guilty to two charges: knowingly and without lawful authority keeping a child away from the responsible person, and failing to notify Cambridgeshire Constabulary of a change of address within three days, as required under his registration on the Sex Offenders Register. He had moved from Eastfield Road to Lincoln Road on February 23, 2024, but did not inform the police.

Mitchell's prior conviction stems from February 2021, when he was jailed for sexual offences against children and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years. PC Alex Neill, the investigating officer from Cambridgeshire Constabulary, commented: “CAWNs are a way of disrupting contact between a vulnerable child and a predatory adult. We believe the girl was at risk of harm through her association and inappropriate relationship with him, repeatedly going missing from her care placement and being groomed by him.” Neill added that upon Mitchell's release, he would continue to be monitored by the specialist team managing sex offenders in the community, with robust action promised if he posed further threats to young women.

The case was reported by Peterborough Matters, highlighting the efforts of Cambridgeshire Constabulary to protect vulnerable individuals in the area.