A serial stalker who breached a restraining order has been marched back to prison - just weeks after being freed on licence. Grant Hodnett, from Cheshire, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment in February.
He was convicted of stalking one woman, while also breaching a restraining order that was in place to protect a second woman he had previously stalked. The 42-year-old was released on licence in September, having served half of his sentence.
As part of Hodnett's strict licence conditions, he was required to inform his probation officer of any developing relationships. But in late November, Cheshire Police received notification from a neighbouring force that Hodnett had started a relationship with a woman he had met on an online dating app.
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The circumstances were looked into by the Harm Reduction Unit, Cheshire's specialist stalking investigation and risk management team, which includes probation officers and NHS mental health professionals. It was found that he had failed to inform the probation service of his new relationship or his use of dating apps - despite having multiple opportunities to do so.
Hodnett, of Coniston Avenue, Winsford, became subject to an emergency prison recall last Thursday (December 5). He was arrested less than 24 hours later and will now serve the remainder of his 18-month prison sentence.
Police Constable Keith Terrill, of the Harm Reduction Unit, said: "Hodnett's actions have again shown he is either unable or unwilling to adhere to conditions placed upon him. Thanks to swift information sharing and the integration of the Harm Reduction Unit with the Probation Service, we were able to quickly identify the developing risk Hodnett posed and safeguard the public by recalling him to prison.
"I hope that this demonstrates how Cheshire Police, and our partners, continue to monitor stalking perpetrators and serial domestic abuse perpetrators long after investigations and court cases have ended, and that we will use every tool and power available to us to protect the public from the risks they pose."
Hodnett's prison recall comes as the Manchester Evening News is campaigning for a change in the law to introduce a minimum jail sentence for people convicted of breaking restraining orders, and proper monitoring of people with restraining orders, including via electronic tagging. The campaign follows the tragic death of Caroline Gore, from Wigan, at the hands of her former partner.
The campaign has been backed by Caroline's family who believe the 44-year-old would 'still be here' had her killer not been spared jail for breaching his restraining order just weeks before he killed her. More than 63,000 people have now signed the M.E.N.'s change.org petition, which is calling for a change in the law to protect victims of domestic abuse.