In 2024, the Offender Database recorded that Andrew Snook, 56, of Boldon Colliery, South Tyneside, was jailed for nearly five years for the sexual abuse of a young boy with special needs. On appearing at Newcastle Crown Court in April 2024, the defendant admitted to causing a child to engage in sexual activity. It was reported that Snook, originally from Edinburgh, had a history of violent assaults on children in the 1980s and 1990s, but had been able to move to England without being on the sex offenders register because his prior convictions predated the notification scheme.
The investigation established that Snook used extreme deception to gain the trust of his victims. Northumbria Police reported that he pretended to be mute and used a walking stick to appear vulnerable, communicating only by typing on his phone. The prosecution reported that he later claimed his voice had miraculously returned, a manipulation that moved the victim’s mother to tears before the abuse was eventually uncovered in June 2021.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Snook had a long-standing predilection for sexual activity with young boys, including a 1996 conviction for dragging a child into a house. Newcastle Crown Court heard how the victim’s family lived in fear for six months after Snook was initially bailed back to the same address following his arrest. The investigation established that Snook’s ability to hide his historic Scottish convictions allowed him to wheedle his way into the lives of a family in South Tyneside without any authorities raising a safeguarding alarm.
The Sentencing Judge noted the devious and manipulative nature of Snook’s behaviour. For his actions in Boldon Colliery, Snook was handed a custodial sentence of four years and 11 months. The judge noted the severe trauma caused to the six-year-old victim and his mother, resulting in Snook being placed on the sex offenders register for life and made subject to a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a restraining order.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the crimes reported in England, the status of Andrew Snook is as follows:
- Custodial Sentence: 4 years and 11 months in prison (2024).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements were activated for life.
- SHPO Status: Lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order in effect.
- Restraining Order: Imposed for the protection of the victims.
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court following a Northumbria Police investigation.
- Criminal Record: Causing a child to engage in sexual activity; (Historic convictions for violent assaults on children).
- Origin: Boldon Colliery, South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear (Originally Edinburgh).
Monitoring and Public Protection
Snook is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by the police and the National Probation Service in Tyne and Wear. Due to his history of moving between Scotland and England to avoid detection, his management is subject to the highest level of scrutiny. Authorities state that his lifelong SHPO is a vital tool to ensure that his residency and any attempts to contact families are strictly monitored, preventing him from using his previous tactics of feigning disability to target further vulnerable children.
As a member of the Sex Offenders Register for life, Snook must comply with all notification requirements regarding his identity and residence. Authorities state that his history of child abuse in Edinburgh and Boldon Colliery necessitates permanent vigilance. Any future attempt to approach children, misrepresent his physical health to gain trust, or engage in inappropriate behaviour in Tyne and Wear or elsewhere will result in immediate arrest and a return to the court system for further incarceration.
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