A child sex offender has been jailed for 15 months after breaching the terms of the Sex Offenders' Register by pretending to be the son of JD Wetherspoon owner Sir Tim Martin.
John Lightfoot, 56, of Cardwell Street, Hanley, was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life in 2014 after sexually assaulting a child. He has breached the order and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) on several occasions and was handed a suspended prison sentence in June 2025, The Sentinel reports.
Posed as 'Jay Martin' at Cheadle pub
Just three months later, Lightfoot went to The Lamplighter pub in Cheadle and claimed to be Jay Martin, the son of Tim Martin. Staff became suspicious and carried out their own research. They discovered his true identity was John Lightfoot and he was asked to leave the pub.
His offender manager was not aware he was using the name Jay Martin, which put him in breach of the requirements of the Sex Offenders' Register. After his arrest, he accepted telling the manager he was the son of Tim Martin but denied using the name Jay himself.
Court hears of health issues and remorse
Lightfoot pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders' Register and was jailed at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.
Ella Worsley, mitigating, attempted to persuade Recorder Robert Smith to step back from sending Lightfoot straight to prison. She said Lightfoot has a plethora of health conditions and is likely to require a stent for his heart, and that his mother recently passed away.
She accepted the offending crossed the custody threshold but said Lightfoot is engaging with the probation service. He is willing to engage and is completing a Building Choices programme. She said there is more work that needs to be done so he can address his offending.
Miss Worsley added: "This would be absolutely last chance saloon."
Recorder: 'Comply or go inside'
But Recorder Smith said the offending was so serious only an immediate jail sentence was appropriate. He told Lightfoot: "You went into The Lamplighter. You claimed to be the son of Tim Martin, the owner of Wetherspoon. You introduced yourself as Jay Martin. People became suspicious. The name was an alias. It was not a particularly serious breach but there are very chilling similarities to your index offending.
"You are a dangerous man when it comes to your risk to children. The SHPOs and notification requirements, you view these orders with contempt. You are not honest with the probation service. You are a man capable of significant deceit, in my judgement.
"If you breach your SHPO you are going to prison. There will be no more suspended sentences, no more community orders, there will be no more chances. You are a dangerous man who presents a risk to children. Comply or go inside. It is that simple."
