Cambridge 'gym loiterer' sex offender returned to prison for breaching court order after harassing teenage girls

A sex offender who served a prison sentence for assaulting a woman at a gym is back behind bars after harassing teenage girls to perform sex acts. Hernando Ferraro-Cordoba, of Thorleye Road, Cambridge, was handed a prison sentence in January after his actions in the city.

The 61-year-old was released from prison in March but, four months later, on July 6, police were called after a man was seen speaking to teenage girls near the YMCA – which also has a gym as part of its facilities. He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) until 2030, prohibiting him from attending or loitering near any exercise classes and groups, sports or leisure centres, gyms, swimming pools, sporting events or arenas without prior permission from the force’s Public Protection Unit (PPU).

Investigations revealed Ferraro-Cordoba was loitering in his car and asking girls to perform sexual acts on him in return for alcohol and a drive in his car. He was arrested at his home in the early hours of the following morning. Officers from the force’s Management of Sexual Offender and Violent Offender (MOSOVO) Unit were able to piece together his movements.

Ferraro-Cordoba reportedly passed car park banners clearly advertising a gym and visited the YMCA forecourt twice in less than five hours, including just a few hours before his arrest. CCTV captured him dropping off three teenage girls at the location and enquiries also revealed he had brought one girl flowers and asked two girls to go to a hotel with him - an offer they declined.

In a police interview, Ferraro-Cordoba gave a prepared statement stating he denied all offences against him, including loitering outside a gym, and claimed one of the teenage girls had lied about her age and wanted to start a relationship with him. He answered no comment to all other questions.

He denied charges of breaching a SHPO by loitering outside a gym and breaching his Sex Offenders Register notification requirements by ordering, and not registering, a new bank card. However, he stood trial at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court in August and was found guilty of both offences.

His case was committed to Peterborough Crown Court for sentencing, where he was handed one year and two months in prison. His SHPO was ordered to continue until 2030.

DC Andrew McKeane, who investigated, said: “Ferraro-Cordoba’s behaviour was very worrying, particularly towards teenage girls, with an element of attempted sexual exploitation. “We would encourage parents or guardians to know the signs of exploitation – which can include going missing, misuse of drugs or alcohol, involvement in offending, emotional distance from family members, receiving gifts from unknown sources and many more. This case also highlights the consequences of breaching a SHPO and how seriously it is treated by us and the courts.”