A MAN who didn’t tell his new girlfriend he was a paedophile has been jailed for breaching a sex offender register order for the third time.

Paul Rogers, 43, originally from Newport, now of Caerphilly, had to tell the authorities if he was away from his home for more than seven days.

It was found he’d stayed at a house in Merthyr Tydfil with a new partner for 25 days after police investigated an assault allegation.

Rogers was made the subject of a 10-year sex offender register order in 2018 after he was caught by paedophile hunters in an online entrapment operation.

The defendant thought he had been in contact with a 13-year-old schoolgirl but was being set up by a child protection group.

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Rogers admitted an attempted grooming charge.

A suspended prison sentence was imposed as well as the sex offender notification requirements, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

Rogers had defied the order twice before and was jailed for 16 weeks for a breach that occurred in 2020.

His latest offending took place between last November and December.

Prosecutor Richard Ace said: “The defendant made full admissions in interview.

“He accepted he knew the requirements and was happy with his new partner and hadn’t felt so happy in a long time.

“The defendant said he felt the relationship would end if she became aware if he was on the sex offenders’ register.”

He was enjoying his new girlfriend’s company

Rogers admitted breaching the order by staying at an address in the Dowlais area of Merthyr Tydfil without registering it at a designated police station.

He also pleaded guilty to failing to surrender to Newport Magistrates’ Court on January 14.

Kathryn Lane, representing the defendant, said: “He can’t provide an excuse for this offending.”

She asked the court to take into account her client’s guilty pleas.

His barrister added: “The defendant was enjoying his new partner’s company.

“She suggested and allowed him to stay at her address.

“He stayed for a longer period than he ought to have.

“He was right when he thought his new partner would leave him if she found out about his past – she did.”

This is an order which must be obeyed

Judge David Wynn Morgan told Rogers: “The order under which you are currently living is one which will extend until 2028 and it was put in place as a result of the offending that resulted in the imposition of that suspended sentence some years ago.

“It’s there to be obeyed. In this instance, you deliberately disobeyed it.

“And it’s not the first time, in fact it’s the third time.

“On each occasion the tariff increases as a result.”

He added: “The order is in place, it was properly imposed, and it must be obeyed and if it is not obeyed an inevitable prison sentence follows.”

Rogers, now of Attlee Court, Lansbury Park, Caerphilly, was jailed for 22 weeks and ordered to pay a £128 victim surcharge following his release from prison.