A SEX offender failed to inform a woman he moved in with of his previous conviction, a court heard.

Stephen John Robbins also failed to notify police that he had left his former accommodation, in a men’s hostel, in breach of the notification requirements as a sex offender.

Durham Crown Court heard was told that during the six days he lived with the woman, in the Stockton area, her younger siblings, who lived nearby, would visit, putting Robbins, 21, in breach of the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), imposed following his conviction in 2015.

Phillip Morley, prosecuting, said Robbins was made subject of a five-year SHPO and mandatory notification requirements as to where he is living, upon conviction for causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, relating to a young girl.

The terms of that order included a prohibition on him having unsupervised contact with a child.

Mr Morley said Robbins’ was registered as living at the Changing Lives hostel, at Plawsworth, near Chester-le-Street, but on July 26 it was discovered he had handed in his room key earlier that day.

A Changing Lives worker told police Robbins said he was moving in with a male friend in Stockton and no children would be present at that address.

“But, it emerged that he was with a female that he met in an online dating site, on July 25, and they began a relationship thereafter.

“He told her he had not been a good person previously as he had been to prison for assault, but he didn’t disclose the true nature of his convictions.”

Mr Morley said during the following week the woman’s 12 and six-year-old siblings visited more than once, one staying overnight.

Police became aware of his whereabouts and arrested him at that address on July 31, and when interviewed he gave no reply to questions.

He admitted failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements and the terms of a SHPO.

Mr Morley said Robbins has five previous convictions for breaching notification requirements.

Mark Styles, mitigating, said although only 21 Robbins has struggled with substance and alcohol misuse, and amidst an unstable background has also suffered mental health difficulties.

“He still has not stable bases in life, regarding accommodation. Clearly this offending was the culmination of his sense of frustration and hopelessness.”

Mr Styles said when Robbins moved in with the woman he met online, he was unaware her other family members lived nearby.

Jailing him for two years, Judge Christopher Prince extended the SHPO by five years and told Robbins he had shown, “a contempt” of the efforts of the court and statutory services to keep him away from young people.