Sex offender found in wardrobe in Morecambe taunted police on Facebook

Heysham lad Connor Halliwell, 24, bragged on social media that the police officer who was chasing him was ‘smoked and your gonna have to release the hounds or get the chopper out but if ya get your chopper out mines gonna be out’.

He also taunted Morecambe Area Police by saying ‘get your colleges (sic) on the treadmills’.

But Halliwell’s luck ran out when police searched an address on West End Road and found him in a wardrobe.

Halliwell was arrested by a police dog handler and will now be sent back to prison after failing to notify police of his whereabouts.

Lancashire Police put out an appeal on Friday, June 23 for the public’s help in locating Halliwell who was last seen in the Lancaster area.

Halliwell, 24, whose last known address was in Blackburn, was convicted of a sexual assault on a woman aged 16 or over in 2012.

He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and made subject to notification requirements.

Halliwell, originally from Heysham, has links to Morecambe and Heysham.

Sgt Adey Knowles from Morecambe Police said: “Taunting police on Facebook is not that common but its unusual for us to be looking for someone like that and find them within a day. It’s disappointing that not only have they committed the offences and are wanted, that they are under the impression that its ok to goad the police. “It’s not cool and 99% of the public think that as well. The fact that he has put those comments on doesn’t do him any favours.”

A post on Morecambe Area Police on Sunday said: “Connor decided he would poke fun at us on Facebook.....therefore it gives me great pleasure to say that we found him hiding in a wardrobe on West End Road last night. We’ll certainly enjoy our celebratory doughnuts (before hitting the treadmill!) #Sithee #inyapop”