Sex offenders who evaded police for 11 days jailed

Two men who went on the run after committing sexual offences against a child have been jailed.

Adam Hastings, 28, and Reece Upton, 29, both of no fixed abode, were jailed on Friday for nine years and four years respectively after admitting sexual activity with a child.

After the victim - a teenage boy - reported the offences, the pair "actively evaded" Thames Valley Police for 11 days, with sightings of them reported in Wiltshire.

At Reading Crown Court, Hastings admitted five counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order while Upton admitted one count of sexual activity with a child.

The offences took placed between April and June last year in Newbury, Berkshire, though both men have links to Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

They were arrested on 24 June, and pleaded guilty on the second day of their trial on 19 November.

Investigating officer Det Con Cerys Sumpter described the case as a "complex investigation" in which the men "actively evaded police".

"I am satisfied that Hastings and Upton have been given custodial sentences reflecting their crime; however, no punishment can ever compare to the pain and anguish the victim had to endure," she said.

"I hope the conviction will bring them some closure on their ordeal."

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