Description
A convicted sex offender who sparked a police hunt by repeatedly ignoring strict monitoring rules fled and climbed onto a roof when officers spotted him by chance.
Serial offender Stuart Webster went missing after release from a 10-year prison sentence for rape, prompting a police appeal for his whereabouts.
He had a "very poor record of compliance" with requirements to report regularly, Hull Crown Court heard. Webster, 42, of no fixed address but recently in custody, admitted breaching sex offender notification rules on August 23 and October 10, plus handling stolen goods on October 17.
Prosecutor Hannah Turner said Webster was convicted of rape in May 2015 and jailed for 10 years, with indefinite registration duties. He registered as homeless in Doncaster on July 9, requiring weekly police check-ins, but failed to comply.
Arrested in Doncaster in August for non-registration, he was later listed as wanted for further breaches. On October 17, Beverley police spotted him at the bus station. "Officers saw him and spoke with him," said Miss Turner. "He confirmed his name.
"He began to flee from the officers on foot. He was pursued by officers for some distance and the defendant ended up on the roof of a building – a low sloped roof.
"He dropped a bag that he was carrying with him. He was pursued further by officers and he was seen throwing items into a skip.
"He was detained in the Beverley area. Within the bag that he discarded were bottles of alcohol with the security tags still attached.
"He told officers that they were given to him by a friend, who had stolen them." One of three bottles was broken.
Webster had 76 prior convictions, including failing to register on July 10 and 17. He received a one-year conditional discharge on August 22.
Mitigator Billy Torbett said Webster pleaded guilty, faced prison, and had spent four months in custody. "He knows that this has to be something of a crossroads sentence," said Mr Torbett. "He has either got to sort himself out or he is going to be serving a life sentence in instalments. He is remorseful and he knows that he needs assistance in custody. Regrettably, it's the best place for him at the moment."
Deputy circuit judge Timothy Clayson told Webster: "You have got a very poor record of compliance." Originally from Grimsby, Webster was jailed for 14 months, including two consecutive months for breaching the conditional discharge.