A CONVICTED sex offender has been jailed after failing to notify police that he was homeless.

Tony Preston, 45, appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on April 4 charged with three counts of theft from a shop and two counts of failing to comply with the sex offenders register notification requirements.

The court heard that Preston, of no fixed abode, had failed to tell people on September 1 last year that he had no permanent place of abode.

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Preston had also failed to inform police within three days of being arrested what his name, date of birth and home address was.

The offender had been arrested for several counts of theft. The first took place 0n September 1 when he stole £176.25 worth of alcohol from Tesco in Oxford.

From the John Lewis shop in Oxford, on September 23 he stole £707 of fragrances and electrical items and on September 27 he stole £2,267 worth of sunglasses.

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After pleading guilty, Preston was jailed for 10 months on the lead offence of stealing from Tesco. He then received six month concurrent sentences for the remaining counts.

Preston was also ordered to pay £50 in compensation.

The court heard that a custody sentence was warranted as Preston has a ‘flagrant disregard for court orders’ and the offences with committed during the operational period of a suspended sentence.