A convicted sex offender who was the subject of a television Crimewatch appeal after going on the run and leaving Cumbria has been handed another prison sentence.
Paul Hunter Redpath, now aged 51, had been locked up in 2006 for sexually abusing two teenage girls, aged 13 and 15, on waste ground in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland.
As part of that punishment, he was made subject to indefinite restrictions on his liberty as the authorities sought to keep tabs on him.
In late 2019, having been released on licence from a prison term imposed for breaching those restrictions, Redpath moved to approved premises in Carlisle. He provided appropriate notification to police but absconded the same day.
Under the terms of a strict prevention order he was not allowed to leave Cumbria. And through sex offender notification requirements he had a duty to tell police where he was living. “For two years, he failed to do that,” prosecutor Josh Bowker told Carlisle Crown Court today.
After Redpath disappeared, police issued an urgent public appeal as they sought to trace him. BBC viewers were told by BBC Crimewatch Roadshow presenter Rav Wilding that Redpath — 6ft 4in tall, and known to sport a distinctive grey beard — used many names, including James McInley and Jordan Macpherson. He was also said to be unsure if his age and use different dates of birth.
Redpath, originally from Stranraer, was said to have a Scottish accent and have links across Scotland and to Cumbria, Preston, Cornwall and Belfast. He had last been seen in the Kendal area of Cumbria.
Members of the public were urged not to approach Redpath, who has gone AWOL on several occasions in the past, and to call 999 if he was spotted. One senior police officer has previously said he posed a major risk to children in particular.
Redpath resurfaced in Sussex last December. He had bought some alcohol and been picked on by local youths. “He threw a bottle at them and was arrested,” said his barrister, Andrew Evans. “On arrest he gave police his full name.”
He was brought to court and admitted flouting both the prevention order and notification requirements. Mr Evans said he had attended at the Carlisle approved premises in 2019 as directed but was recognised by two fellow residents who had been inmates at the same prison and made a sinister comment. “They knew what he had been imprisoned for,” said Mr Evans.
Redpath, originally from Stranraer, had 63 previous offences on his record. These included multiple past court order breaches committed in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which had resulted in around 156 months’ imprisonment.
For the latest breaches, Redpath was jailed today for two years. “You say you absconded, you were once again threatened which has been an ongoing and continuing pattern for many years,” said the judge. “I am afraid that is simply no justification for you ignoring court orders.”
