Registered sex offender jailed
Stephen Pennington was found, after moving from Blackburn to Devon
Last updated 2nd Apr 2026
A wanted man has been found and jailed, for breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
In October 2025, Lancashire Police asked for the public's help locating Stephen Pennington who was wanted.
Pennington is a Registered Sex Offender, with a previous conviction of the rape of a child.
He was wanted for breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order and failing to notify the police of leaving Blackburn – one of the conditions of the order.
With your help and the assistance of our colleagues at Devon and Cornwall Police, Pennington was found at an address in Devon, where a woman and children lived.
He had moved out of his registered address in Blackburn and evaded the police for several weeks.
Pennington had made his way to the other end of the country, in doing so committing multiple breaches of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order and his Sex Offender Notification Requirements.
This included him using social media sites he hadn't registered and not retaining his internet history.
Pennington, 38, formerly of Bolton Road, Blackburn, appeared for sentence at Exeter Crown Court last week (26th March) after pleading guilty to three breaches of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order and one offence of failing to notify as part of his Sex Offender Notification requirements – the offences covered his time in both Blackburn and Devon.
The judge jailed him for three years and nine months.
Offender Manager at Lancashire Police's Management of Sexual and Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) team, PC Jessica Swallow, said: “Pennington is a dangerous individual with numerous convictions for breaching his requirements.
“In this instance he believed he could start a new life at the other end of the country and evade police management - he was wrong.
“I welcome the custodial sentence he received at Exeter Crown Court last week.
“This investigation is a fantastic example of two police forces working together to protect vulnerable people and send a Registered Sex Offender back to prison.”