In 2019, the Offender Database recorded that Shaun Fox, then 36, and his partner, former police officer Tara Woodley, then 34, were both jailed after evading authorities for 4 months. On appearing at Peterborough Crown Court, Cambridgeshire, for sentencing on 28 January 2019, Fox received a nine-year extended sentence for inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and multiple breaches of court orders. On Friday, 14 June 2019, Woodley was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment for assisting an offender.
The investigation established that Fox, a registered sex offender, had gone on the run in April 2018 after being accused of further sexual crimes in Werrington, Peterborough. Cambridgeshire Constabulary reported that despite five visits to Woodley’s home, she repeatedly lied to officers, claiming she believed Fox may have taken his own life. The prosecution reported that during a search of the property on 1 August 2018, officers discovered Fox hiding naked in a wardrobe, armed with a kitchen knife.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Woodley, who had been sacked as a police constable in December 2016 for her relationship with Fox, had an active role in his concealment. Peterborough Crown Court heard that she had purchased a mobile phone for Fox at the Queensgate shopping centre to help him evade detection. The prosecution reported that Fox had committed four counts of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and two counts of failing to comply with notification requirements in Werrington, Peterborough.
Detective Sergeant Paul Stimpson noted that his team deals with the most “manipulative and dangerous” offenders within the community. For his actions in Werrington, Peterborough, Fox was sentenced to five years in prison with an additional four years on licence. The judge noted that Woodley’s actions represented a serious breach of professional standards and public trust, necessitating a custodial sentence for the former officer who had knowingly harboured a predatory threat to children.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For their crimes in England, Shaun Fox and Tara Woodley were handed:
- Shaun Fox Custodial Sentence: Five years in prison, extended for four years on licence.
- Tara Woodley Custodial Sentence: Four months in prison.
- SHPO: Fox’s order was amended to ban contact with females under 16 indefinitely.
- Restraining Order: A ten-year restraining order protecting the victim and her family.
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Fox is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Cambridgeshire Constabulary and the prison estate. Due to the “dangerous and manipulative” nature of his offending in Werrington, Peterborough, his management is subject to the highest level of oversight by the Public Protection Unit.
As a member of the Sex Offenders Register, Fox must comply with notification requirements regarding his identity and residence for the remainder of his life. Authorities state that his history of evading police with the assistance of a former officer necessitates permanent and stringent monitoring of his domestic arrangements. Any breach of his registration conditions, his ten-year restraining order, or his amended SHPO in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, or elsewhere will result in immediate arrest and a return to the court system.
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