Stuart Throp

A registered sex offender from Elswick, Lancashire, has been spared immediate jail time after admitting to breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by staying at the home of his girlfriend, a mother of three children aged between three and 11, and contacting one of the children via WhatsApp.

Stuart Throp, aged 53, appeared before Judge Richard Gioserano at Preston Crown Court on 20 September 2025. Throp pleaded guilty to the breaches, which involved staying at the address more than 30 times without notifying police, despite the presence of children, and sending messages to the woman's 11-year-old daughter. Although the messages were not sexual in nature, they violated the terms of the SHPO imposed in 2022 following his conviction for four counts of encouraging a female child under 16 to engage in sexual activity. Those original offences occurred during the Covid lockdown, after which Throp was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.

The court heard that Throp had entered a relationship with the mother, who has drug issues, intending to support her. His defence counsel explained: 'He recognises he is guilty. He apologises. He regrets what he did. He knows he has made a mistake. He is utterly ashamed. But he was just trying to help someone else rather than having a sexual motive.' Throp had not come to the attention of the courts until his late forties, and the relationship developed after the end of a previous long-term partnership.

Judge Gioserano acknowledged Throp's intentions but emphasised the seriousness of the breach: 'I am giving you the benefit of the doubt. Your interest was in (the woman) herself, whatever that may have been, and not in her children. That makes this case less serious than it might have been.' He added: 'Because of your previous sexual offending you don’t get to choose freely with those you have a relationship with. You knew she had three children. That should have been enough. That should have been the end of it and you shouldn’t have allowed it to develop any further.' The judge noted a supportive letter from the woman, stating: 'You are lucky to have her. She continues to see the good in you and continues to see a future. Her faith in you plays a large part in my reason to suspend your sentence.'

Throp received a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, along with 180 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity days. The SHPO was extended for a further seven years. The judge warned: 'If you breach this you will find yourself back here and at risk of going back into prison. You have to stay out of trouble. It sounds simple. We will see if it is or not.' The case was reported by the Blackpool Gazette, highlighting ongoing enforcement of orders to protect children from registered sex offenders.