Wirral sex offender cleared of ignoring order banning contact with young people



A SEX offender was cleared of ignoring an order banning him from contact with young people.

A jury took less than half an hour to clear Mark Duckers, of Rice Lane, Wallasey, of breaching his 10 year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).

The 47-year-old was accused of inviting two young girls into his Wirral flat the day after a court forbade him from contact with under 17s.

But Duckers told the Liverpool crown court jury the girls burst into his home after reading about his order in the ECHO.

He insisted he did not invite the girls into the Rice Lane, Wallasey flat and he was taking a nap when they ran in after finding his door ajar.

He said one of the girls spat at him and called him a paedophile.

Duckers, wearing a blue and white shirt and jeans, stood impassive as a jury of four women and eight men cleared him of breaching the 10-year order.

The ban was imposed by Wirral magistrates in May and remains in force.

THE ECHO