A CONVICTED paedophile from Barrow is back behind bars after he admitted to breaching the terms of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for the fourth time.

Ian Strickland, of Lesh Lane, deliberately deceived police by hiding an unregistered Samsung mobile phone in his home address, Preston Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Lewis Bocking said the 49-year-old concealed the internet enabled device in his bedroom draw when officers conducted a routine home visit on May 2 this year.

He was arrested on suspicion of breaching the terms of his SHPO 13 days later when officers returned to his home address, the court heard.

Check out our some of our other court coverage which resulted in jail sentences last month:

 

Mr Bocking said Strickland originally told officers the device must have been planted and that he had no knowledge of it at all.

The court heard the SHPO was imposed indefinitely in May 2019 after Strickland was jailed over a string of child sex offences.

On that occasion, Strickland, who has now amassed four previous convictions for 12 offences, admitted three counts of attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and a single count of possessing indecent images of children.

One of the provisions of the SHPO prohibited him from using a PC or any other device capable of assessing the internet, the court was told.

The prosecution said the defendant let officers check the registered mobile phone on May 2, which is still being analysed by specialist police teams.

The court heard the length of time the defendant had been in possession of the unregistered phone was unknown.

Mr Bocking said it was logged into Google using the defendant’s Gmail account with his parents listed as contacts in the phone’s directory.

In defence, Tom Lord said his client’s best form of mitigation was his guilty plea at the first opportunity.

 He said: “There is a degree of deception when hiding the phone. He has previously successfully completed a three-year community order.

“He is indicative of complying with orders but is still reoffending. He has been in custody since May 16 and knows the likelihood will be that he remains there today.”

His Honour Judge Richard Gioserano imposed a 10-month prison sentence and ordered for the forfeiture and destruction of the mobile phone.

Before proceeding to the length of sentence, Judge Gioserano said: “Yet another breach. You know all too well you should not have this phone without telling your offender manager.

“There is no evidence of you using it for any unlawful purpose but the possession itself breaches the SHPO.

“The offence is aggravated by your previous convictions and that this was committed whilst you were subject to a community order.

“The pre-sentence report suggests you blame your offender manager for the situation you are in.”