Earls Barton sex offender finally behind bars after trying to hide his internet use
A man who was caught by paedophile hunters has finally been jailed after used a virtual private network to disguise his internet browsing.
The 29-year-old defendant was last in court in September 2024 when a paedophile hunter group caught him out chatting to a person he believed to be a teenage girl.
Ryan Sheridan, of Manor Road, Earls Barton, was given another chance by a judge who said his offending did not pass the custody threshold.
He was given a community order and a sexual harm prevention order which had strict conditions to curtail his sexual behaviour. He was also ordered to complete a sex offender prevention programme.
But when Sheridan’s offender manager visited his home in November 2025, they discovered that he had breached the order.
He was charged with two counts of using a virtual private network (VPN) to disguise his internet use, and of using an internet-capable device that he had not previously advised police he owned.
Sheridan was before Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking at Northampton Crown Court at the end of January to admit the three breaches of the SHPO. Sheridan had a host of issues affecting his behaviour including a global learning delay. He has a previous conviction for sexual assault on a young girl he carried out when he was 14-years-old.
He was given eight months in prison.