In 2020, the Offender Database recorded that 52-year-old Gareth Weeks—of Bassetts Gardens, Exmouth—was jailed for 15 years after being branded a “dangerous offender.” Weeks appeared at Exeter Crown Court where he admitted to a series of “appalling” offences, including having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old boy whom he had groomed on the dating app Grindr. It was reported that the investigation established Weeks, a former stage manager who boasted of working with major showbiz stars, used his professional reputation and a “fatherly” persona to manipulate a vulnerable child seeking support regarding his sexuality.
The investigation established that within hours of the victim posting a profile, Weeks contacted him, offering help with school and home issues. The prosecution reported that during their second meeting at his home, Weeks blindfolded the boy, placed him in bondage gear, and subjected him to unprotected sexual abuse. Exeter Crown Court heard that Weeks secretly filmed these encounters without the victim’s knowledge and shared the footage with fellow paedophiles while discussing “ripping” the child and travelling to the Philippines to find victims as young as 12.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Weeks’s interest in the boy was “totally false, self-serving, and duplicitous.” The investigation established that Weeks was already a serial sex offender, having been jailed for similar crimes in 1993 and 2012. Despite being on prison licence and subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) that banned contact with children, he had managed to volunteer at an amateur theatre in Devon. The prosecution reported that police only caught Weeks after discovering his messages and films on another man’s phone during a separate investigation.
Judge-led proceedings at Exeter Crown Court concluded with Judge Timothy Rose sentencing Weeks to 15 years in prison, with an additional six-year extended licence period. For his actions in Exmouth and the “vile and violent” fantasies he exchanged with others, he was certified as a dangerous offender. The judge noted that Weeks showed a total disregard for the victim’s age and the long-term damage he was inflicting, stating that the violence discussed in his messages was “utterly appalling.”
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the records reported in East Devon and Exeter, the status of Gareth Weeks as of April 10, 2026, was as follows:
- Custodial Status: SERVING (15-year custodial term plus 6-year extended licence; sentenced 2020; currently incarcerated).
- Release Eligibility: Not before serving at least 10 years (two-thirds of the custodial term).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active for LIFE.
- SHPO Status: Subject to an INDEFINITE Sexual Harm Prevention Order (Including total bans on using dating apps, strict digital forensic monitoring, and a ban on entering any theatre or amateur dramatics setting).
- DBS Status: Placed on the Barring List (Indefinite ban on working with children or vulnerable adults; dismissed from all theatre volunteer roles).
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Sexual activity with a child x2; Meeting a child following grooming; Inciting sexual activity; Distributing indecent images; Breach of SOPO).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Exeter Crown Court; investigated by Devon and Cornwall Police Child Protection Team.
- Criminal Record: Third-time convicted child sex offender (1993, 2012, 2020); Used bondage and blindfolds to abuse a 14-year-old; Boasted of celebrity connections to gain trust; Exchanged abuse videos with other paedophiles.
- Origin: Exmouth, Devon.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Weeks is managed as a Very High Risk dangerous sex offender within the prison system and will be subject to the most intensive tier of statutory supervision for the remainder of his life. Due to the nature of his conduct—specifically his “history of repeated offending while on licence and his use of professional status to bypass safeguarding”—his management is a priority for the Devon and Cornwall Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) at Level 3. Authorities state that his ability to “inveigle” himself into amateur theatres identify him as an individual who requires permanent exclusion from all community-based arts and volunteer sectors.
As a registered sex offender for life, the 58-year-old’s details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that his lifetime registration and the 21-year combined sentence are vital safeguards to ensure he remains under state control. Any change of residence in Exmouth or elsewhere, any attempt to access restricted apps like Grindr, or any unauthorised presence in youth or theatre settings will result in immediate arrest to ensure the ongoing safety of the public from a man who demonstrated a “persistent and predatory intent” to violate children.
QUESTION – Given that the offender was a “third-time” serial offender who successfully infiltrated an amateur theatre while on a SOPO, do you believe that “Automatic Lifetime GPS Monitoring” should be mandatory for any individual with more than two convictions for child sexual offences?
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