David Draycott

David Draycott, a 70-year-old resident of London Road, Davenham, in Cheshire, England, faced justice at Chester Crown Court for breaching a court order designed to protect children from harm. Earlier in September, Draycott had been handed a two-year suspended sentence for amassing an 'abominable' collection of 50,000 child sex abuse images, a grave offence that underscored his status as a paedophile. In addition to the suspended sentence, he was subjected to a sexual harm prevention order that explicitly banned him from remaining in any household where a child under 16 was present.

Despite this opportunity to avoid immediate imprisonment, Draycott squandered it by deliberately violating the order on 15 November. He attended a birthday party for a terminally ill friend at a neighbouring property, where two young children were present under the supervision of a parent. Draycott stayed for at least an hour, greeting the children but not being left unsupervised with them. He failed to inform the hosts of his status as a registered sex offender. Days later, when speaking to his probation officer, Draycott admitted to the visit but misleadingly claimed the children were teenagers, which the prosecution described as evidence of a deliberate breach.

Draycott appeared at Chester Crown Court on 17 December, having previously pleaded guilty to the breach before Chester magistrates. His defence argued for a reduced sentence based on a plea of exceptional circumstances, emphasising that it was the last party for his dying friend, who passed away a few days later, and that Draycott had not considered the implications of staying in a crowded room without attempting to engage with the children. However, His Honour Judge Simon Berkson rejected the basis of plea, stating that Draycott 'could have left and come back at another time' and that the situation was 'exceptional circumstances, not emergency.' The judge questioned why Draycott did not simply leave upon seeing the children present.

Judge Berkson characterised the breach as deliberate and serious, noting, 'You saw there were children there but instead of leaving, you stayed for at least an hour in the presence of those children. You know that order is in place to keep you away from children.' While accepting that Draycott posed a low risk and that there were no attempts to interact inappropriately with the children, the judge deemed the violation significant enough to warrant custody. Draycott was ultimately jailed for a total of 12 months. The case was reported by the Northwich Guardian, with images provided by Cheshire Police, highlighting the ongoing enforcement of protective measures against sex offenders in the region.