Convicted Northampton paedophile jailed after breaching order by accessing internet
A convicted Northampton paedophile has been jailed after breaching an order by accessing the internet.
Harvey Roberts, of Lower Meadow Court, appeared at Northampton Crown Court for sentencing on May 24 after he admitted two counts of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
The 31-year-old was issued with a SHPO at Ipswich Crown Court on March 4, 2022, after he was convicted of distributing and processing indecent images of children.
The order prohibited Roberts from using private browsing mode on devices, as well as using a device which had access to the internet without informing police or probation.
On March 11 this year, Roberts complied with his SHPO and notified Northamptonshire Police that he had purchased a new mobile phone. However, a month later, officers checked Roberts’ new mobile phone and found that he had been using the device on private browsing mode and meant there was no internet history, which was in breach of his SHPO.
Officers also found that he had committed a second breach of his SHPO conditions after using a PlayStation, which had access to the internet, without informing the police or probation service.
Lead investigator, PC Carl Gardner from the Force’s MOSOVO Team, which closely manage sexual and violent offenders, said: “Protecting the most vulnerable people in our society is a matter of priority for the force, and we take the management of sex offenders extremely seriously.
“Harvey Roberts rightly, has very strict notification requirements he is expected to abide by, however, he thought he was above the law and his actions clearly demonstrated a total disregard for the sanctions imposed by the court.
“We take an absolute zero-tolerance approach to situations like this, and there is no room for manoeuvre. If a breach is identified, there are no second chances and just like Roberts – offenders will be sent to prison.
“I hope this case demonstrates the force’s commitment to bringing sex offenders to justice and keeping the public of Northamptonshire safe.”
Roberts was sentenced to 20 months in prison and ordered to pay a £187 surcharge. The court also ordered the mobile phone to be destroyed.