A registered sex offender from South Shields is facing court after allegedly using a false surname to conceal his identity while forming a relationship with a woman and interacting with her two teenage children.
Christopher Coates, 36, is accused of introducing himself under the name “Christopher Davison” while dating a woman whose family later discovered his true identity through a newspaper clipping detailing his past conviction.
Coates, of Highfield Road, appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, where prosecutors said he spent time at the grandmother’s home, engaged with the children aged 15 and 13, and joined the family on shopping trips in Newcastle.
The deception was uncovered when a friend of the grandmother recognised Coates in a news article from 2016, when he was jailed for six years after admitting sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl, whom he made pregnant. He was placed on the sex offenders’ register and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) restricting contact with minors.
Police investigation
Prosecutor Glenda Beck told the court that officers later reviewed CCTV from Newcastle Civic Centre and identified Coates at a Metro station in the company of children, in breach of his order.
He was arrested and made no comment during interview.
The court heard that Coates’ alleged use of a false name was intended to hide any articles about his conviction.
Defence position
Defence solicitor David Forrester said Coates accepted he had spoken to the children but claimed this was limited to “a couple of occasions” when he said hello.
He told the court Coates believed the grandmother had exaggerated events and noted that the woman he had been dating had not provided a statement to police. The relationship has since ended.
Next steps in the case
Because of conflicting accounts from both sides, magistrates ruled that a Newton Hearing—a special fact-finding process—will be required to determine the extent of the breach.
The hearing is scheduled for Friday, May 1, 2026, at the same court.
Coates was granted bail on condition that he lives at his home address and does not contact any prosecution witnessess.