Convicted child sex offender used alias to work as handyman at homes in Northern Ireland
A convicted child sex offender used an alias to work as a handyman at homes in Northern Ireland for up to a year, the High Court heard today.
Daniel Patrick Blaney, 52, did not inform his designated risk manager about the odd-job duties carried out under a false identity, prosecutors said.
He was refused bail amid uncertainty over the presence of any children in the households where he operated.
Blaney, of Myrtlefield Park in Belfast, has a series of historic convictions for serious sexual crimes, including offences of rape and indecent assault.
In 2019 he was released from prison on licence and made subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).
The order prohibited him from going within 50 metres of any children’s facilities or carrying out work which would provide access to under 18s without the approval of his supervisor.
Blaney now faces new charges of breaching the SOPO and failing to comply with notification requirements by using a different name over a period between November 19, 2024 and December 2, 2025.
The alleged offences were discovered after his phone was seized and examined earlier this month.
Crown counsel Stephanie Boyd told the court: “It was apparent he had been working and doing odd jobs around different private homes.
“While we can’t say if there were any children there, he did not notify that he was doing this work under an alias of ‘Peter’.” The court heard Blaney accepted breaching the order put in place to ensure the protection of children.
Operating though either a landlord or estate agent, he had been working as a handyman in people’s homes under a false identity for a 12-month period.
Defence barrister Patrick Taylor insisted the alleged deception was to generate income rather than any attempt to gain access to children.
“If his true name was Googled by potential clients it would be very unlikely that they would employ him,” the lawyer added.
An investigating detective indicated checks are still to be carried out to establish if any under 18s were present at houses where the defendant worked.
Denying bail to Blaney, Mr Justice McAlinden held that the risks could not be managed at this stage.
The judge stated: “He could well have had access to children and young people, we just don’t know.”