A convicted paedophile former police officer dressed as an elf and posed with Santa in a Christmas grotto while volunteering at a charity event, despite being banned from having any contact with children.
John Smith, 48, of Laurel Road in Fairfield, was previously handed a three-year community order and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) in February 2024 after being found guilty of attempted sexual communications with a child. He was caught in an online sting by an undercover police officer.
However, just months later, on Christmas Day 2024, Smith volunteered at a charity event as a 'meeter and greeter', dressing as an elf and posing next to Santa Claus in a grotto. The event was attended by numerous children, many of whom were vulnerable or lonely and referred by organisations such as Crisis.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Smith's offender managers discovered a photograph of him dressed as an elf while examining his phone on Valentine's Day last year. When police contacted the charity organisers, they described the event as 'family orientated', featuring a Christmas dinner, gifts and a grotto.
Laura Atherton, prosecuting, noted that dressing up was not mandatory, and Smith chose to dress as an elf of his own volition, which could be seen as an attempt to make himself more approachable to children. This was the third consecutive year Smith had volunteered at the event without disclosing his convictions or SHPO.
Smith has eight previous convictions for 17 offences, including a prior community order for inciting sexual activity with a child in 2011, for which he was later imprisoned for 12 months in 2013 after breaching the order.
Paul Becker, defending, said Smith is 'sorry' for breaching the order and noted that witnessing 9/11 inspired him to become a police officer. However, he struggled with alcohol and has been sectioned three or four times, with PTSD taking its toll.
Smith admitted to two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison. Judge Katherine Pierpoint stated that the breach was very serious, as Smith knew he was prohibited from unsupervised contact with children.
Smith was also ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years, and his SHPO remains in place until 2034.
