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24
Feb
Harrogate sex offender who approached lone women avoids jail
A Harrogate man who approached lone women in his van and performed sex acts on himself has avoided jail.
Thomas Rees, of Burnby Close, was sentenced at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates last Tuesday (February 18).
Rees pleaded guilty to 10 counts of exposure when he appeared at the same court previously on January 28.
Durham Constabulary said it received a call from a woman who had been on her way to pick up her children from school in Darlington on January 17 when she was approached by a man driving a white rental van.
The force added the man, who was performing a sex act whilst driving, asked the woman if she would sleep with him before driving away.
The woman took photos of the van, capturing part of the number plate, which officers at Darlington CID used to track down the driver.
Rees was arrested at his home in Harrogate on January 27, after which he was taken into custody for questioning.
The 28-year-old defendant’s phone was analysed, police said, and several videos saved inside a locked folder were recovered.
Durham Constabulary said the videos showed Rees committing similar offences to the incident in Darlington on at least nine separate occasions.
The other incidents took place across Yorkshire in September and October last year.
They happened on High Heworth Lane in Gateshead; Berkely Terrace, Bayswater Mount, Compton Avenue, Seaforth Avenue and Gledhow Road in Leeds, and on Wheldrake Road and Firth Park Road in Sheffield.
Rees was sentenced to one-year in prison, which was suspended for two years.
Rees’ whereabouts will be electronically monitored until June 17 this year, and he is required to register with the police in accordance with the Sexual Offences Act 2003 from February 18 for the next ten years.
Durham Constabulary last month said the other victims had not yet been tracked down and issued an appeal to who anyone who may have been a victim of Rees’ behaviour.
Detective constable Daniela Jones, from Darlington CID, last month said:
I'd like to commend the woman in this case who, despite being distressed and upset by what she had witnessed, managed to take pictures of Rees’ van as he fled the scene.
Her quick-thinking actions ultimately enabled us to track down and arrest a dangerous sexual predator.
Our enquiries have revealed that Rees preyed on women across the north of the country, in particular in Gateshead, Leeds and Sheffield.
We would like to speak to anyone who may have been a victim of his abhorrent behaviour – if you have then please get in touch.
You can call 101 to report an incident, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website, www.crimestoppers-org.uk.
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