Ellesmere Port man jailed for breaching Sex Offenders Order

A man has been jailed for breaching the requirements of a Sex Offenders Order.

Mebrahtom Abrha was sentenced to six months imprisonment on Monday 19th October after being found guilty of two counts of failing to comply with the requirements of a Sex Offenders Order following a four-day trial at Chester Crown Court.

Over the course of his trail, it was heard that Abrha, who is of Grace Road in Ellesmere Port, but is originally from Eritrea, had previously been handed a 15 year sentence in 2016 after he was convicted of rape.

As part of the sentence, the 36-year-old was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life, with the requirements that he must notify police of any banking accounts he had access to or registered for.

In April 2026, shortly after his release from prison, officers from the Sex Offenders Management Unit (SOMU) visited Abrha alongside probation teams.

As part of the visit, officers examined Abrha's devices and discovered that he had two online banking apps on his mobile phone. During a subsequent search, they also found two bank cards on his person.

Checking their management systems, it was found that Abrha had not disclosed to officers that he had opened for these accounts, a clear breach of his Sex Offenders Order.

Following his arrest, the 35-year-old would tell officers that he did not understand the terms of his order as English was his second language.

This was in spite of him having conversed with police and probation teams in fluent English, previously having the requirements of the order explained to him in depth by SOMU officers and him signing the document itself confirming that he understood what was required of him.

He also went on to say he thought that he needed to register bank accounts with officers once he had set them up, deposited money into them and been sent a banking card, claiming that he would have registered them given the chance.

Constable Jones, of the Sex Offender’s Management Unit, said:

“Abrha told police that, despite being handed court order that was to remain active for the remainder of his life, he had not actually read the terms and did not understand what was required of him to keep him out prison.

"He also attempted to justify his actions by claiming he did not know that his banking accounts were active until he had deposited any money into them and was sent a physical card.

“It was this clear breach, paired with the fact that he had only just begun the licence period of his sentence, that resulted in him being promptly arrested and returned to police custody and later charged.

“Sex Offenders Orders are put in place to keep members of the public safe from dangerous offenders, and we treat any breaches with the utmost seriousness and will always take immediate action.”

Pictured - Mebrahtom Abrha of Grace Road in Ellesmere Port.