In 2018, the Offender Database recorded that 29-year-old Stephen Clarke was handed the maximum available sentence for the sexual assault of a six-year-old girl in her own home. Clarke—of Clapgate Lane, Goose Green, Wigan—was sentenced at Bolton Crown Court. It was reported that the investigation was launched after the victim’s father discovered Clarke hiding under a duvet with the sleeping child during a social gathering.
The investigation established that Clarke was a guest at the home of an acquaintance when he became heavily intoxicated. Bolton Crown Court heard that the girl’s father had placed her to bed in a downstairs room, covering her with a duvet. The prosecution reported that upon checking the room, the father found Clarke on his knees with his legs sticking out from under the duvet, having removed the child’s pyjama bottoms to carry out a non-penetrative assault.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that scientific evidence played a critical role in the trial, with DNA evidence linking Clarke to the victim. Bolton Crown Court heard that Clarke continued to deny the offences despite being caught in the act. The investigation established that the victim suffered significant distress following the incident, becoming clingy and lashing out at home, which led to her being placed on a list for professional counselling.
Judge Timothy Stead presided over the sentencing, handing Clarke a four-year custodial term. For his actions in Wigan and Greater Manchester, Clarke was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) prohibiting him from living with or having contact with any female child under 16, with an exception for his own nine-year-old daughter. The judge noted that the victim was particularly vulnerable as the assault took place in her own home, the one place where any child should feel at their safest.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the records reported in Greater Manchester, the status of Stephen Clarke as of April 5, 2026, was as follows:
- Custodial Status: RELEASED (Served 4-year term; sentenced 2018; released on licence circa 2020).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active until 2028 (10-year term).
- SHPO Status: Sexual Harm Prevention Order active (Subject to indefinite or long-term conditions).
- DBS Status: Placed on the Barring List (Indefinite ban on working with children).
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Sexual assault on a female under 13; 1 count).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Bolton Crown Court; investigated by Greater Manchester Police.
- Criminal Record: Assault of a 6-year-old; Caught by the victim’s father; DNA evidence confirmed the 2018 conviction.
- Origin: Clapgate Lane, Goose Green, Wigan.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Clarke is managed as a high-risk registered sex offender within the Wigan area following his release from prison. Due to the nature of his conduct—specifically targeting a sleeping child while a guest in a family home—his management is a priority for the Greater Manchester Police Public Protection Unit. Authorities state that his history of abusing a position of social trust while intoxicated requires stringent monitoring of his alcohol consumption and social associations.
As a registered sex offender, the then 29-year-old’s details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that his SHPO strictly prohibits him from any unsupervised contact with female children, ensuring he cannot stay in any household where minors are present. Any failure to notify police of his movements in Wigan, any attempt to approach the victim’s family, or any breach of his residence restrictions will result in immediate arrest to ensure the ongoing safety of the public from his demonstrated pattern of predatory behavior.
QUESTION – Given that the offender was granted an exception to his SHPO to maintain contact with his own daughter despite assaulting another child, do you believe that “Parental Rights” should be automatically suspended for any individual convicted of a sexual offence against a minor?
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