A SEX offender was jailed for breaching the terms of his notification requirements by living with a woman and her teenage daughter.

Ivan Leslie Martin was given a ten-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and became subject of sex offender registration notification last March after admitting possessing indecent images of children and possessing an extreme pornographic image, at Durham Crown Court.

But he was back at the court after admitting breaching the notification requirements, which, in turn, put him in breach of the suspended sentence.

Ian West, prosecuting, said the terms prohibited him from remaining resident in a property for more than 12 hours of any day where there was a teenage girl, under the age of 18, living.

Mr West said Martin was in a relationship with a woman whose 17-year-old daughter came back home to live with her, last October.

He was warned in a meeting with his supervising probation officer he would not be able to live at the same address, but he claimed to be staying at a friend’s house.

Mr West said police spoke to the ‘friend’ who told them Martin was not living there and so two police officers went to the address of his partner, on October 28.

His partner and her daughter were present, but the officers were told Martin was not there.

He was found hiding in a bedroom cupboard, and arrested.

Andrew Teate, mitigating, said it was the first breach by the 44-year-old ex-soldier, formerly of Byron Street, Easington Colliery.

Jailing him for six-months, however, Judge Simon Hickey said it was, “no inadvertent breach”, as Martin was made fully aware he should not live in such circumstances.