A LYING sex offender who was given a community sentence for breaching the terms of a court order has been jailed for 16 months.

Bolton Crown Court heard how conman Joshua Walmsley has used 31 aliases and has a string of convictions for offences in England, Scotland and Germany, including robbery and sexual assault.

Walmsley, aged 40, conned numerous women, charming his way into their lives using a series of fanciful stories including that he had escorted Princess Diana around minefields, had served in the SAS, owned a Michelin-starred restaurant and spoke six languages.

In May this year, he was sentenced to a three-year community order for three counts of fraud, presenting false CVs to potential employers, and breaching the term of his sexual offences prevention order by spending time at the homes of two women where children were present.

He was ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work, but Judge Elliot Knopf was told that Walmsley, of Prescot Close, Bury, has failed to attend probation appointments and do unpaid work on three occasions.

Lisa Wilson, prosecuting, stressed that police have concerns about Walmsley and public safety.

Stuart Duke, defending, appealed to the judge not to jail Walmsley, claiming that for the six months before the community order was imposed he had been remanded in custody.

“The question is, has he been punished enough already?” said Mr Duke.

But Judge Knopf stressed that it is the second time Walmsley has failed to obey the court order.

“You have demonstrated repeatedly an unwillingness to comply,” he told Walmsley.

The judge ended the community order and resentenced the defendant to 16 months in prison.

“If you cock a snook at the court, you leave the court with very little choice,” he said.