Scarborough paedophile jailed for more than three years after approaching children in the street

Paul Hurworth, 60, was on a sexual-harm prevention order banning him from having any avoidable or unsupervised contact with children under 16 years of age, after being convicted of previous breaches in 2017, York Crown Court heard.

But in September this year, the pensioner walked up to a very young boy on a bicycle at the Manham Hill play park in Eastborough and engaged him in conversation, and later that day called round at the home of two young children and spoke to them at the doorstep while their mother was inside, said prosecutor Michael Cahill.

Hurworth “showed (the boy) the contents of (his) carrier bag” and allegedly asked him if he’d like to go on a train ride to York with him.

He had been spotted by a member of the public talking to the youngster.

The named witnesses “thought something was amiss” and “saw (Hurworth) off”.

He told the boy to tell his parents what had happened and called police.

Hurworth, of Manham Hill, admitted breaching the order by talking to the boy and showing him the contents of his bag but denied trying to “lure” the youngster onto a train.

The prosecution accepted his basis of plea because the child in question had not been traced and was therefore unable to verify the accusation.

Hurworth also admitted going to a family home in Scarborough later that day when he spoke to two young children.

“He knocked on the door (which was) opened by (the woman’s children),” added Mr Cahill.

“(The mother) saw him in the doorway.”

Hurworth then sat on a chair in the front garden as they shut the door.

The mother told him to “Go away, weirdo” and Hurworth left.

He was charged with a third breach in that he allegedly touched a youngster in a pram which was being pushed by the child’s mother.

He denied that allegation and the prosecution ultimately accepted his plea due to a lack of CCTV evidence.

The allegation was dropped and a not guilty verdict entered.

Hurworth appeared in court via video link on Monday, October 31 to be sentenced for the two breaches he admitted.

The original sexual-harm prevention order was imposed at Rotherham Magistrates’ Court in 2015 for causing a public nuisance, namely making sexual comments to children in a play park.

It was renewed at Sheffield Crown Court in 2017 for two breaches of the same injunction, when Hurworth received a nine-month jail sentence.

In that incident, he was found with children inside his flat.

In June 2020, he was jailed for another 12 months at York Crown Court for breaching the order again while living in Selby.

Over the past 40 years, he had amassed 14 previous convictions for 21 offences.

In April 2019, he received a six-month jail sentence for three more breaches of the order.

His solicitor advocate Neil Cutte said Hurworth’s behaviour and past offences against children were “clearly troubling and clearly serious”.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, told Hurworth: “I’m quite satisfied that you are a man who is sexually attracted to children.

“You knew very well that you had to steer well clear of young children, but you will not learn your lesson.

“(This is) a very serious and persistent breach (of the order) and as you have (sexual) contact offences in the past, in my view, given your determination to seek out and approach children, there is a very serious risk of that descending into contact offending (again), and that might well have been your intention.

“Because of the nature of your fascination with children there is a very serious risk of harm (to youngsters).”

The judge added: “One day, it may well be one of these approaches ends up with a child being molested again.

“The time has come when you have got to learn your lesson and in order to protect children I’m going to make this a sentence that you are not hitherto used to.”

Hurworth was jailed for three-and-a-half years, of which he will serve half behind bars before being released on prison licence.