Crumlin sex offender admits offence and is fined £250
A 66-year-old sex offender who admitted failing to make an annual re-notification regarding his name, address and date of birth has been fined £250.
The charge relates to June 18, 2024.
At Antrim Magistrates' Court, sitting in Ballymena, a defence barrister said the notification breach by Michael Steele, of Cairn Walk in Crumlin, had been unintentional.
He had been suffering from poor health and had missed making the notification but it has now been complied with, the court heard.
District Judge Nigel Broderick said a report assessed the defendant as a "low likelihood of reoffending".
The defendant's existing Sexual Offences Prevention Order runs until November 2028.
The judge said it was the defendant's first breach of the notification requirements and there did not appear to have been any concerns as to why he did not make the notification.
He had "either forgot or didn't report" and there is no higher risk of re-offending and he has now made a notification, the judge said.