Man fined after ignoring court order

Dear Resident,

A man who breached a legal order by having a vulnerable missing teenager in his home has been fined.

Alex Harpur-Wyatt, 39, was handed a Community Protection Warning (CPW) earlier this year after concerns were raised about his contact with and behaviour towards teenage girls.

Not long after, the Cambridge City Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) spotted him speaking to three 17-year-old girls and the group had alcohol with them.

Harpur-Wyatt, of Pathfinder Way, Northstowe, Cambridge, was then issued with a Community Protection Notice (CPN) last month – a more severe warning which carries a power of arrest if ignored.

However, he took less than a month to breach the CPN when, on 27 February, a missing 17-year-old girl was found in his home.

Harpur-Wyatt appeared at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where magistrates handed him a £120 fine after he admitted breaching the order.

The CPN, which runs until February 2027, remains in place with strict orders prohibiting Harpur-Wyatt from:

'Parents and carers should learn the signs'

PC Ross Howard, from the force’s Child Exploitation Hub, said: “So far, Harpur-Wyatt has not taken the legal orders imposed on him as a deterrent, but we continue to monitor him closely.

“Child exploitation can happen anywhere – in any town, any street, and to any family. You may feel it would never affect someone you know, but the reality is that it can, and it does.

“We would strongly encourage parents and carers to learn the signs of child exploitation and speak with their children, or the young people in their lives, about any concerns they may have.

“Sometimes, a single conversation can make all the difference and please do reach out to us if something doesn’t feel right. Anyone with any concerns a child may be being exploited should report this to us and the local authority.”

For more information about child exploitation, including the signs to look out for, visit the force’s dedicated web page.

Kind regards,