Paedophile fireman used loophole to keep changing his identity: Calls to change law as the Daily Mail exposes shocking case of pervert with 20 aliases

By REBECCA CAMBER, CRIME AND SECURITY EDITOR Published: 00:00, 17 August 2026 | Updated: 00:04, 17 August 2026 Ministers were under pressure last night to close a legal loophole that allows paedophiles and perverts to change their identity. The Daily Mail can reveal that a convicted sex offender adopted as many as 20 aliases to hide his convictions. Jason Brown was dubbed a 'danger to women and children' after repeatedly – yet, shockingly, legally – changing his name to shield his criminal past as he formed relationships with unsuspecting partners. In an extraordinary case which has reignited calls for a crackdown, the 50-year-old former firefighter moved around the country, preying on women and children and adopting a new persona as soon as he was caught. Campaigners are calling for urgent new safeguards as scores of sex offenders are due to be released from jail in October, while many others will no longer face prison under Labour's soft-justice reforms. When Brown was first convicted 12 years ago, he was labelled a 'monster' with a warning that he could 'disappear and start this all over again' if the law was not tightened. But since then, despite numerous promises by politicians across the spectrum, little has changed.  Brown reinvented himself after every conviction, hiding his horrifying past even while he was being investigated for rape and sexual assault. Jason Brown was dubbed a 'danger to women' after repeatedly changing his name to shield his criminal past The former firefighter, 50, moved around the country preying on women and children - and adopting a new persona every time he was caught The pervert, who has convictions for sexual acts against children, was finally exposed after a woman bravely fought to put him behind bars when she discovered that her live-in lover was a convicted paedophile being prosecuted for rape – an allegation of which he was eventually cleared – under a different name. When Brown last week pleaded guilty to the 12th breach of a sexual harm prevention order after being caught holding hands with a nine-month-old baby girl, it emerged that he had even changed his name in the middle of his prosecution. The shocking case comes just days after leaders of every police force in the UK wrote to the Prime Minister raising concerns about 'public protection, victim confidence and community safety' after the Government announced plans to release offenders early and jail fewer criminals by ditching shorter prison sentences. This means thousands of sex offenders who would have been given custodial sentences will instead be managed in the community through remote measures such as wearing electronic tags. Labour promised to tighten restrictions on sex offenders in the Crime and Policing Act, but the new law merely changed the obligation on criminals to alert police seven days beforehand rather than three days after their name change.  Emily Konstantas, founder of The Safeguarding Alliance, said the case illustrated the ease with which offenders were able to change their identities to fool the public. 'He (Brown) has targeted women and children – the ability to keep changing his name has given him a free pass,' she said. 'This man represents a risk to every woman and child. This case is shocking on so many levels. It just makes my blood boil. 'We have been campaigning for eight years for a ban and it is so upsetting that had our reforms been implemented, he would never have the ability to do this. 'Sex offenders are exploiting this loophole and the Government is well aware of the issue. The safety of children, women and vulnerable adults should never be a secondary concern.' Ms Konstantas said the recent changes to the law were ineffective because the onus was still on sex offenders to alert police to their new names.  She added: 'It's lip service... there is no more protection for people because this loophole will continue to be exploited. 'They get to start a new life because it is like erasing their past. How many children have to be sexually abused, how many women have to be duped into marrying sex offenders, for the Government to take action to protect the public? 'There is an argument about human rights but if you are a registered sex offender, you are on that register because you are deemed a risk to society. 'How can you protect victims when you put the rights of offenders first?' Jason Brown, who was first convicted of child sex offences in 2004, is pictured Labour ministers are now being put under pressure to close the legal loophole which allows sex offenders to change their identity When Brown was first convicted of child sex offences in 2014, one source close to a victim warned: 'We are just hoping the system is robust enough to deal with him when he is released from prison, so that he does not disappear and start this all over again. 'He is very charismatic and he does not look like a monster, but he is a monster. 'He has moved all around the country in the past and he has changed his name. That cannot be allowed to happen again.' More than 11,500 registered sex offenders were prosecuted for failing to notify changes of information between 2019 and 2022. Records suggest another 700 sex offenders have gone missing, many due to an identity change, between 2019 and 2021. In one force alone, more than 500 criminals changed their name in 23 months. Currently offenders can change their name by deed poll, which costs roughly £50 and takes only 15 minutes online. Rotherham's Labour MP Sarah Champion, who has campaigned to close the loophole, said of the Brown case: 'I'm disgusted at how easy it is for sex offenders to change their name to escape justice. 'This gaping loophole needs to be closed. I've shared my horror about this safeguarding risk with countless ministers, all of whom promise to act – but still offenders are exploiting the system.' Ms Champion added: 'Unless this loophole is closed, the schemes that allow us to check if someone has a past record of offences are pointless.' A Home Office spokesman said: 'Registered sex offenders are required to notify the police of any change of name, and failure to do so is a criminal offence. 'Protecting the public from dangerous sexual offenders remains a top priority, and we are strengthening the powers available to police through the Crime and Policing Act 2026.' It was just 14 days after they met that Jason Brown uttered the three magic words. Julie Purvin thought she had found the man of her dreams when her new boyfriend, a former firefighter, looked into her eyes and whispered: 'I love you.' But it was to be the beginning of a nightmare for the divorced mother-of-two. For the man she let into her heart, family and home was a convicted sex offender living under a false name who had repeatedly changed his identity, adopting as many as 20 aliases to hide his convictions. As he faced a court again last week – for breaching a sexual harm prevention order for the 12th time – it emerged that Brown had even changed his name in the middle of the prosecution, exploiting a loophole in the law which allows sex offenders to assume a new persona, as long as they notify police. The 50-year-old has managed to reinvent himself after every conviction, hiding his horrifying past even while he was being investigated for rape and sexual assault. It wasn't until a friend uncovered his multiple aliases that Julie discovered her boyfriend was being prosecuted for rape under a name she had never heard in a court 100 miles from the home they shared. Now the 54-year-old is bravely telling her story in a bid to change the law. She is determined to warn others about the 'monster' who has duped so many women. The relationship which would change her life followed a chance meeting in a Stratford-upon-Avon bar in February 2025. While showering her with compliments, Brown told her that he was a father-of-three who had moved about working in different places as a firefighter, landscape gardener, karate instructor, and he currently had a sales role in a construction company. A week later, he turned up on Valentine's Day with flowers at the beauty salon Julie owns. Within ten days, Julie had introduced Brown to her friends and family and just a fortnight after their first meeting, he professed his love. 'He told me he loved me. I thought "oh my God, I feel the same",' she recalls. 'I thought he was perfect. I got swayed along. I was so happy.' But soon after moving in, he started to find ways to distance Julie from her family, including her adult sons, and friends. And every Tuesday he would disappear on the pretext of seeing his ailing mother. In reality, Brown was secretly checking in with the probation service as part of his sex offender notification requirements. Julie continued to be blissfully happy until her illusion was shattered by her friend's investigations. Brown told her he was fighting a false accusation of sexual assault made by 'a druggie' he knew after he refused to give her money. As she struggled to come to terms with the news, 6ft 2in Brown shockingly simulated on Julie the attack he was being accused of. Then she discovered a mobile phone she didn't know he had and a SIM card in his pocket wrapped in clingfilm, at which point 'the penny dropped'. Frightened, she asked a friend for help and they agreed to do some research into Brown, who was by that time on trial in Essex – or so Julie thought. She discovered that Brown was actually at Lincoln Crown Court, facing charges of rape, sexual assault and breach of a sexual harm prevention order – under the name of Seb Coe. When Julie searched that name on the internet, her world fell apart as she learnt he had been convicted of multiple sex offences under different names. Born Barry Coe, Brown was sacked by West Midlands Fire Service for downloading pornography on a work computer. He then started calling himself Seb Coe, establishing a karate club for local schools in the West Midlands and targeting underage girls by seducing their mothers. In 2014, he was jailed under that name for five and a half years for sending more than 1,600 texts to seduce underage girls. Described at Birmingham Crown Court as a 'sex pest' and exhibitionist, Brown romanced the victim's mothers before he started bombarding their teenage daughters with messages, including an explicit picture of himself. He told one 14-year-old victim that he wanted a threesome with her and had fantasised about having sex with her and pop star Rihanna. When she reported him to police, it emerged that Brown had sent similar texts to two other young girls. He was convicted of three sex acts against young girls, three charges of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and three counts of indecent exposure after flashing neighbours through the bedroom window of his home. One source close to a victim warned at the time: 'We are just hoping the system is robust enough to deal with him when he is released from prison, so that he does not disappear and start this all over again. 'He is very charismatic and he does not look like a monster, but he is a monster. He has moved all around the country in the past and he has changed his name. 'That cannot be allowed to happen again. We have a duty to protect young children from vile sexual predators like him. 'I personally believe that there are many more young women out there who are also victims of his.' In March 2022, Brown was jailed at Lincoln Crown Court for 18 months for breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) four times and failing to comply with notification requirements. A year later he was jailed for 20 months at Cambridge Crown Court for seven counts of breaching an SHPO by repeatedly attending children's birthday parties in Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire even though he was banned from having any contact with young girls. Court records show he used at least five names and even changed his first name halfway through his rape trial last year from Seb to Jason Coe. The jury in that case heard he was accused, in November 2021, of grabbing a woman when she refused his request for a kiss, sexually assaulting and then raping her while pinning her against a wall. Discovering the truth left Julie in a state of shock. 'I was hysterical. I texted him and he was waiting for the jury to come back in the rape case. 'He phoned me. His voice was unrecognisable. He was so cold, he demanded to know "how did you get this information?" 'He seemed angry. I was very frightened by that point. I was heartbroken, devastated. I felt my world had fallen out. I felt violated. I kept thinking how did I get it so wrong, how could I be so naive?'  Terrified, she went to the police fearing he would return from court and force his way into her home. She was informed that Brown had been acquitted of all charges later that day, but the officer in the case described him as a 'dangerous man who was very clever, very charming' and had used scores of aliases. Last week, Brown was back at Lincoln Crown Court to go on trial for the 12th breach of his SHPO, after he was caught holding hands with a nine-month-old baby girl. Judge Simon Hirst questioned why having been charged as Seb Coe, the defendant was now 'styling himself as Jason Brown'. No explanation was given to the Recorder of Lincoln, but one lawyer in the case said: 'He has been Seb Coe, Jason Brown, next he'll be calling himself Jason Bourne.' Despite pleading guilty, Brown is likely to receive a community punishment when he is sentenced next month. For Julie, who sat in the public gallery blinking back tears, it felt like the final betrayal. 'The whole thing has been a disgrace. I feel so let down by the whole criminal justice system,' she said. When she first discovered Brown's real identity, Julie alerted her local police force only to be told by one male officer: 'Don't worry about it.' She recalled: 'A male officer said effectively, "Oh dear, you should never have got into a relationship with someone like that". 'They said, "Love is blind. Don't worry about it". I felt sick. I was scared to go home because he might be there. It was passed off as if it was nothing.' Julie was merely advised to change her locks and install security cameras. But she was determined to protect other women and complained that she was not being taken seriously. Just 24 hours after she contacted the police watchdog, officers came to her home to take a proper statement, with one PC revealing they believe Brown has as many as 20 aliases. Warwickshire Police later arrested Brown for breaching his sex offender notification requirements by failing to declare that he was in a relationship with Julie and living with her. Brown received a 12-month sentence last June but was released after serving just six months. Police failed to tell Julie that he was at large for another four months. Now she wants to warn other women about the pervert and is campaigning for a ban on sex offenders changing their name. Currently offenders can change their name by deed poll, which costs roughly £50 and takes only 15 minutes online. Almost 1,500 sex offenders notified police that they had changed their name between 2019 and 2021, but another 700 failed to do so, using their new identity to vanish. Under a different name, offenders can even obtain clean DBS checks, allowing them to work with children. Julie said: 'It makes my blood boil. It is disgraceful how he can be allowed to change his name to something different time and time again. 'No one warned me about him because police didn't know he had changed his name. It is an absolute joke. 'How can women be protected when sex offenders are doing this? The law needs to change to prevent sex offenders changing their name so easily – we need to protect future victims. 'I feel it's important to warn women out there who may let this man into their lives, into their homes where they may have daughters or young children. 'I want him to be exposed so he can't hide any more, and he can't ruin anyone else's life. It's about protecting other women from him, because I don't think the police are going to do it.'