A North Wales sex offender who went off the police’s radar because he was afraid of being targeted by vigilantes has been jailed.

Maurice Ferriter was living rough in Exeter and believed he would be attacked if other street sleepers learned that he had previously been jailed for sexually assaulting a barmaid at a Flintshire pub.

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He was supposed to sign on every week but failed to do so and remained at large for three months before he was arrested.

He has a long history of failing to comply with the terms of the registration scheme, which is designed to enable the police to keep track of sex offenders.

Homeless Ferriter, aged 49, admitted his ninth breach of registration conditions and was jailed for a year by Recorder Mr Christopher Quinlan, QC.

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Exeter Crown Court heard that Ferriter was jailed for 24 weeks for an identical offence in April 2021 and released at the half way point in August.

He signed on at a police station in Plymouth for two weeks but then failed to do so again until he was arrested in Exeter in October. He has been remanded in custody ever since.

Mr Jason Beal, defending, said Ferriter failed to register because he feared for his safety. He said: “He was living on the streets and believed if he went to register at Exeter police station, the nature of his convictions would become known and he would be in danger.”

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Ferriter was ordered to sign on the register for life after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a barmaid at a pub in Flintshire, in 2012 and jailed for three and a half years.

Ferriter, aged 47, moved to Devon after his release from that sentence and has failed to register repeatedly over the ensuing seven years.