A woman discovered she was dating a registered sex offender when Turkish border control denied them entry to the country. Daniel Greaves, 34, from Grimsby, had not told his new girlfriend about his conviction for four offences of engaging in sexual communications with a child two years earlier.
Background of Offences
Greaves, a warehouse driver, had received a two-year community order and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register at Grimsby Crown Court in December 2024. He was also ordered to comply with conditions of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which prohibited unsupervised contact with anyone under 16.
The original offences involved Greaves communicating with decoys set up by paedophile hunters pretending to be 13-year-old and 14-year-old girls. He sent messages asking for photographs and suggesting they meet up. In one message, he suggested they have a shower together and told one decoy he could have sex with her.
Breaches of Order
Prosecuting at Grimsby Crown Court, barrister Craig Lowe detailed two breaches in January and February 2025. In January, Greaves and his girlfriend went to a local pub for lunch with two children. In February, they attended a circus, and Greaves was left in charge of the children while the woman went to the toilet, leaving him unsupervised with them.
Mr Lowe said: "He had not told anyone about his convictions and he was a registered sex offender."
Discovery at Turkish Border
The couple had difficulty entering Turkey on holiday, which is when the woman became aware of Greaves' previous convictions. She subsequently alerted police. Judge Richard Woolfall noted: "You later went on holiday. You were turned around at Border Control in Turkey and you had to get a return flight."
Court Proceedings
For Greaves, Michele Stuart-Lofthouse said her client had written a letter to the judge expressing his "true remorse." She argued that no harm had occurred during the outings, which were in public settings.
Judge Woolfall said Greaves had been "extremely fortunate" not to have been charged with a more serious offence for the 2023 communication. He noted that Greaves had discussed the relationship with his probation officer but said it was "not the right time" to inform his girlfriend about his conviction. The probation officer gave him time and warned that the police would do so if he did not.
The judge added that Greaves failed to disclose that children were involved in the relationship. He described the circus visit as "more concerning" than the pub lunch because Greaves was left alone with the children.
Sentence
Judge Woolfall emphasised that conditions of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order are "non-negotiable," adding: "They are there to protect children." He sentenced Greaves to a total of 10 months in prison.
