A YORK man who had to give police 24 hours' notice before he has sex with a new partner has lost his legal battle to have a Sexual Risk Order lifted.

John O'Neill, 45, who was once described by a judge as a "very dangerous individual", discussed committing acts of sexual violence during a consultation with the nurse.

Mr O'Neill, who is currently living in a tent in woods in Fulford, appeared at York Magistrates' Court where the interim Sexual Risk Order (SRO) imposed on him was made permanent.

However, District Judge Adrian Lower said he will reconsider the terms of the order next month - describing the 24 hour's notice Mr O'Neill must give police before having sex with a new partner as "wholly disproportionate" and "frankly unpoliceable"

Confirming that the order should be made permanent, Judge Lower said there were inconsistencies in Mr O'Neill's evidence.

He said: "I have become increasingly concerned with Mr O'Neill's evidence.

"I have found him to be a manipulative and grandstanding individual...There is a narcissistic strain to Mr O'Neill which does trouble me as to his future behaviour with others and what he may say and do to them."

Mr O'Neill was cleared of rape following a retrial last year.

Despite this, Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC said after the jury was dismissed: "Please could you inform the authorities that although this man has been acquitted, it is my judgment that he is a very dangerous individual."

Subsequently the chief constable of North Yorkshire, Dave Jones, applied for a Sexual Risk Order (SRO).

The evidence was based on concerning conversations Mr O'Neill held with two medical professionals.

Oliver Thorne, representing North Yorkshire Police, referred to a consultation he had with a community psychiatric nurse, Kevin Holmes.

The nurse recorded notes from the meeting saying Mr O'Neill had feelings of rage, anger and violence.

"He has been sexually violent to past girlfriends and he was not sure if they consented," Mr Thorne, referring to the notes, said.

York Press:

In 2010 he noticed a change in himself, Mr Holmes's notes stated, adding "he stopped asking girlfriends if they consented to sex with him".

He told Mr Holmes, "I need them to be scared or I don't respond."

Mr Holmes said Mr O'Neill had become pre-occupied with killing himself and others and that the thoughts made him feel relaxed and "cool and calm". He said: "I want to die, it's safer for everyone."

"It's only a matter of time before something really bad happens."

Mr Thorne, outlining the police's case, said SROs could be imposed even if there was no conviction.

Mr O'Neill, who has previously admitted to having an interest in sado-masochism, had claimed the order breached his human rights and said he had no prospect of forming a relationship while he lived by its terms.

The court heard that in 2014 he saw his GP and discussed "biting, choking, cutting and burning".

Dr Miriam Hodgson said the consultation at the Monkgate surgery started about a heart test and ended with him complaining about a cold, but in between he mentioned "homicidal and suicidal thoughts".

Dr Hodgson recorded that his "sex life has become violent, has been seeking out increasingly extreme sexual experiences, biting, choking, cutting, burning".

She also wrote: "Thinks he may have raped someone, it went further than she expected."

Mr O'Neill also told her he thought about killing the partner "a lot" and "has choked her unconscious several times," the court heard.

Speaking in court the doctor said she was concerned for her own safety. "I was anxious in the consultation," she said, and keen to deal with his thoughts of suicide and murder.

"Also there was an element in which I thought 'are you trying to scare me, or are you about to attack me?'"

The GP also recorded that her patient had tried to kill himself by starving himself, dehydration, crossing the road without looking or getting into a fight with gangs of men.

She wrote: "Patient thinks he is dangerous and needs to be stopped."

Dr Hodgson noted he should be referred on as an urgent case.

Representing himself in court, Mr O'Neill said the notes made by the health professionals were largely inaccurate  and said they were "thematically correct" but the "specifics have got lost". 

Judge Lower said he disagreed the notes were inaccurate.

The order made against Mr O'Neill made international news after it was revealed by The Press in January.

Mr O'Neill's interim order will continue until his next apperearance in court on September 22. 

Under the current interim order if Mr O'Neill plans to start a sexual relationship of any kind with a woman or to have one-off sexual activity with any woman, he has to contact North Yorkshire Police (or if he moves to a different county, the local force) and tell them who the woman is. He must do this at least 24 hours before any sexual act occurs.

Full sexual risk orders last for a minimum of two years and breaching an order can lead to a prison sentence of up to five years. They are used when someone has not been convicted of a sexual offence, but the police convince a court it is necessary for one to be made against the person to protect the public from him or her.

He is also subject to controls on his use of the internet and must tell the police about every phone and device that he has that he could use for accessing the internet or calling or texting people.