August 2019

Paedophile failed to tell new partner he was a sex offender

A paedophile failed to tell his new partner he was a sex offender despite spending three nights in the same house as her children.

Jamie Goodchild, 26, of Crewkerne, appeared via video link at Taunton Crown Court on Friday (July 26).

He previously pleaded guilty to four breaches of a sexual harm prevention order after he was in the same house as three children under the age of 16 for three nights.

This was in breach of the court order imposed by Chelmsford Crown Court in 2016.

Prosecuting, Mr Russell, explained to the court that “he is prevented from speaking to anyone under the age of 16 without prior agreement of police”.

He added Goodchild has been a registered sex offender since 2014.

Goodchild met the woman on dating website Plenty of Fish in early 2019.

Mr Russell said: “They appear to have started a relationship with him in 2019.

“He started the relationship and didn’t visit her home until June 8 and stayed until June 11. She has three children of varying ages.

“His status on the register came to light on social media and he was challenged by his partner. After this, he left the property.

“In an interview to the police, he gave a statement that he had been seeing her for five months but denied he had been at her home.”

Goodchild was previously sentenced to 20 months in prison for meeting a child after sexual grooming and two breaches of a previous court order in 2017.

Sentencing, Judge David Ticehurst, listened to Mr Ahuja’s request for a suspended prison sentence but was troubled by several “concerns” raised in a probation report, including Goodchild’s interests in younger children.

He said: “You chose to deal with younger females and are known to expose yourself to young females for your own sexual needs.

“In 2016, you were in breach of the court order. In 2017, you breached the order. In 2018, you breached the order.

“In four conservative years, you have made a further breach of the order.

“There have been persistent breaches of the order and it is of serious aggravation by your frequent breaches of the order.”

Goodchild was ordered to spend two years in prison, pay £140 in costs and his sexual harm prevention order was ordered to stand until 2026.

Judge Ticehurst continued: “If you behave yourself, you will serve half of that. If you carry on breaching the order, you will go to the prison for longer.”

March 2017

Chelmsford sex offender laughs and winks as sick crimes read out in court

A Chelmsford sex offender laughed and winked in the dock as his past convictions for grooming 14-year-old girls were read out in court.

Jamie Goodchild, 23, was sentenced to 20 months in prison and made subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order in April last year for meeting a child after sexual grooming and two breaches of a previous order.

The father-of-one, who instigated a relationship with a different 14-year-old between 2012 and 2013, only served a portion of that time, but has now been recalled to prison following more breaches of his new order after appearing at Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday (Feburary 28).

As the court heard details of Goodchild’s repeated sexual offences against children, he laughed to himself, before looking over to the public gallery and winking.

He was sentenced to nine months in jail for two violations of a sexual harm prevention order, meaning he will remain behind bars until the expiry of his previous sentence on October 6.

The sentencing marked the third time the former drug addict has been summoned to court for failing to comply with an order.

Goodchild ignored the conditions stating that he must declare address changes and devices with internet access.

Prosecutor Lucy Ginsberg said: “On November 24 last year, he was registered at a Basildon address.

“On December 29, his monitoring officer received an email from probation saying he was due to be evicted, but he decided to leave early, sleeping rough on December 27 and 28.

“On December 30 he was reminded he needed to register as sleeping rough that day, or he would breach regulations. He failed to do so and was charged.”

She also revealed Goodchild told monitoring officers on December 15 that he did not have a computer or phone.

At a later date, they attended his new address in Pioneer House on Springfield Road, Chelmsford and noticed his partner, who attended court to support Goodchild, typing on a phone.

Goodchild admitted it was his and he was arrested.

Mitigating, Evelyn Hicks said: “He tells me that when he was released from prison his understanding was the phone was a private thing and something he didn’t need to declare.

Judge Christopher Morgan said the repeat offending “beggared belief”.

He added: “It is a serious breach. If you breach again, expect the prison sentences to get longer and longer.”

April 2016

Repeat Chelmsford sex offender jailed after attempting to meet-up with 14-year-old schoolgirl

A HOMELESS sex offender who attempted to meet-up with a 14-year-old girl after almost a year of grooming and “sexual banter” is back behind bars.

Jamie Goodchild, 22, served 12 months in a young offenders’ institute after instigating a relationship with a different 14-year-old between 2012 and 2013, but upon his release almost immediately began texting a family friend.

Goodchild pleaded guilty to a count of meeting a child after sexual grooming, as well as two breaches of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order in Chelmsford Crown Court, where Judge Emma Peters heard that the ex-drug-user’s victim approached police after discovering his criminal past.

Prosecuting, Stephen Rose told the court on Thursday: “They had communicated over Facebook and text messages for much of 2015.

“For most of that period of time, she was 13, and Jamie Goodchild had indicated to her that he was 18, when in fact he was probably 21 or 22.

“During 2015, the communications became increasingly sexual in nature. They seemed to stop over Christmas but resumed in January 2016 and these communications are described as being sexualised.

“That led to an arrangement to meet in Costa Coffee in Bridport in Dorset, which would have involved a significant journey for him.”

Goodchild never actually made the trip, with the victim describing feeling “stood up by him”, but despite that, communications continued.

“There were some further conversations,” Mr Rose continued, “where the defendant engaged in sexual banter and continued to talk about meeting up.”

After the victim was made aware of the 22-year-old’s previous sexual offences, she reported his conduct to the police.

He was brought in for police interview on January 21, answering “no comment” to all charges, was charged that day, and has remained in custody since.

In a pre-sentence report prepared by the Probation Service, it was stated that Goodchild posed a “high risk of serious harm” to under-age girls, which was taken into account by Judge Peters when passing sentence.

Mitigating, Gavin Capper said: “He initially received contact from her by text message; the defendant received some attention from this person, he was on his own as his family have completely cut him off and he responded, in his own words, ‘out of stupidity’.

“There is a significant disparity in age and he understands that being subject to a sexual offences order, he should have taken the position that his behaviour wasn’t acceptable.

“He doesn’t drive, he had no family or friends around; there was, in reality, no way he could have gone down to Dorset to see her. He explained that it was all a fantasy in effect.

“I think the main cut and thrust is that this wasn’t somebody acting in a predatory manner and seeking this person out.

“The initial contact came from her, but Mr Goodchild accepts that his behaviour was completely inappropriate and prolonged.”

The court heard that Goodchild, whose last registered address was Hobart Close, Chelmsford, had been working at the city’s homeless shelter Sanctus in Broomfield Road in return for accommodation after battling problems with drugs in the past.

“He has been making some attempts to put his life back together,” Mr Capper added.

“He has been clean from drugs for 14 months now and says he has no desires to return to that lifestyle.

“Mr Goodchild understands that he is facing a custodial sentence; his aim is to serve his sentence, be rehabilitated and change his life.”

Addressing Goodchild as she sentenced him to 20 months in prison, Judge Peters said: “It is very fortunate for the girl involved and for you that you didn’t turn up to that meeting.

“Thereafter you still continued to show an interest in meeting her and made sexual comments until she had the good sense to report the matter to the police.

“I am acutely aware that these are serious offences. You say you want to turn your life around and want to address these issues that you seem to have and it is right that society should want you to have that help to ensure that you pose no threat to girls in the future.

“I want to be absolutely clear that nothing short of imprisonment will suffice.”

Alongside the 20-month prison sentence, a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order was imposed for a period of 10 years, and Goodchild will be put on the sex offenders register for the same timeframe.