Sex offender hid perverted past from pregnant new partner

Adam Bushell was jailed in 2016 after being snared by paedophile hunters Dark Justice when he turned up to meet who he wrongly thought was a shy, 13-year-old schoolgirl he had been chatting to over the internet.

After his release, the 27-year-old, who was subject to strict monitoring and banned from contact with children, told the authorities he was living at Wansbeck Road, in Jarrow, South Tyneside, but then moved in with a woman in Scotland, who he had met through a dating site.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Bushell had told the woman, who had a ten-year-old daughter, that he was called Adam Robinson and kept his shocking past a secret from her.

It was only when the woman's friends grew suspicious about him and Googled his first name and home city that the horrible truth was revealed.

By then, the woman was seven months pregnant with Bushell's baby and told police: "I don't want to speak to him, I just want him out of my life. I feel physically sick."

Prosecutor Neil Pallister told the court Bushell, who was on the sex offenders' register and subject to a sexual harm prevention order, had been assigned a risk management officer when he was released from jail.

By March this year Bushell, who had made excuses to keep the officer away from his Jarrow address and suggested they meet at a police station, had "lost contact" completely with the authorities.

It was later revealed Bushell had started a relationship with the woman early last year and had moved in with her in September.

Mr Pallister added: "She has confirmed at no point did the defendant disclose he was the subject of a sexual harm prevention order or a registration requirement.

"Throughout their relationship, the defendant continued to use the surname Robinson and was introduced to friends and family using the name Robinson."

The court heard the sinister truth was revealed when some of the people Bushell was introduced to became suspicious about him.

Mr Pallister said: "The name she knew him by, Adam Robinson, she Googled and nothing came up.

"In May 2018 she Googled 'Adam Newcastle' and came up with a number of images of sex offenders. An image of Adam Bushell came up.

"She immediately recognised that the image was the same male she knew as Adam Robinson."

Bushell pleaded guilty to failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements and breach of a sexual harm prevention order.

Judge Simon Batiste sentenced him to two years behind bars.

The judge told him: "I am satisfied threw was a deliberate and repeated misleading of the management officer.

"I am satisfied you changed your name in order to hide your identity and hide your past.

"You lived with a 10-year-old child and never notified her mother.

"In my judgement, these were very high risk actions, given your previous convictions.

"They show a very high level of deviousness and connivance.

"People who behave in such a high risk way, having committed the past offences you have, must understand these orders, the sex offenders register and the sexual harm prevention order, have teeth.

"You must understand, these requirements upon you must be met or longer and longer custodial sentences will follow."

Brian Mark, defending, said there was no suggestion Bushell had committed any sexual offences.

Mr Mark said Bushell had wanted a "normal life and a normal relationship" and added: "He slipped the leash in order to be able to have a relationship.

"It was about his selfish wish to have a relationship."

Bushell had been jailed for 16 months in 2016 after he started talking to a decoy profile on an adult dating website and soon started exchanging private messages with her via Whatsapp, despite thinking she was just 13.

During the conversations, Bushell asked for nude pictures and sent shirtless snaps of himself.

When asked if her young age put him off, Bushell said it did "a bit" and said he couldn't have sex due to her age but then promised to "be gentle".

He was confronted by members of Dark Justice, who alerted the police, when he turned up to meet the girl in Newcastle.

In 2011 Bushell was convicted of battery after putting duct tape over the mouth of a woman who was 33 weeks pregnant and given a suspended sentence.

He assaulted the same woman later that year and was jailed.

Bushell received a caution in 2010, when he was 19, for having sex with a teenage schoolgirl.