Portsmouth pervert caught using Facebook alias to promote pub

The 24-year-old businessman was given a suspended jail sentence last year for admitting child sex crimes against girls he contacted through underage club nights.

As a result, strict requirements were imposed which meant he had to declare any alias or social media profiles he used.

But police were tipped off he had been using a profile called ‘Lucy Hall’ and had not declared this to officers.

Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard Taylor-Foote, who has admitted breaching notification requirements, and friends set the profile up to promote a pub he has an interest in.

The profile, seen by The News, was closed after the hearing on Tuesday but had been advertising Hofest at the Hoeford Inn, in Gosport Road, Fareham.

Graham Heath, prosecuting, said Taylor-Foote, of Portsdown Hill Road, Portsmouth, failed to mention the Lucy Hall profile.

But he said there was no evidence the businessman had committed any other offence beyond breaching sex offenders’ register notification requirements.

Mr Heath said: ‘Information has been passed to the police to suggest the defendant has a Facebook account named Lucy Hall.

‘When the defendant was spoken to in regard to this he says that he viewed the Facebook account as part of a business to promote his business interests in a public house. It’s effectively a point of information and a point to promote events within the public house. As far as I can say the prosecution cannot provide information as to exactly what this has been used for. There’s nothing to suggest any further criminal activity.’

James Brotherton, for Taylor-Foote, said his client set up the profile with people who had an interest in a pub.

He said it was used so comments were not left on each of the friends’ pages, saying: ‘This person doesn’t exist.’

He added: ‘He completely didn’t realise the consequences.’

Taylor-Foote previously admitted four counts of inciting two underage girls into sexual activity between 2012 and 2013 at Portsmouth Crown Court.

He was given two years in jail for the four offences, suspended for two years.

The court heard Taylor-Foote had met the girls through a night he had co-organised called Rekless, which was specifically for under-18s. The nights were held at Pure, in Guildhall Walk.

Sending the case to crown court, chairman of the bench John Henley said: ‘You have an outstanding suspended sentence hanging over you.’

Pervert promoted pub – but is now barred by owners

DANNY Taylor-Foote has been barred from the Hoeford Inn and no longer has any involvement with the pub, staff have said.

Dave Goodyer, sole trader at the Fareham pub, said Taylor-Foote’s marketing firm helped promote events at the night but he has now been barred from entering and the work ended.

Mr Goodyer told The News: ‘As a company we got him to do some promoting, that’s the end of it.

‘He most certainly can’t go into the pub again, that’s been made perfectly clear.

‘He has zero to do with the pub.’