Northampton man jailed after failing to tell new partner about registered sex offender status

Brandon Washbourn, previously of Abington Avenue, appeared at Northampton Crown Court on May 31, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). He was sentenced on the same day.

The 20-year-old visited the Probation Offices in Bridge Street, on April 3 and during the visit, officers found evidence of him having deleted conversations on WhatsApp, which was contrary to the conditions of his SHPO.

According to Northamptonshire Police, he had also begun a relationship with a woman without notifying police, or her, of his status as a registered sex offender.

The court also heard how he had had contact with a 14-year-old child on a video call despite knowing he was not allowed to have contact with anyone under the age of 16.

Lead investigator - PC Mark Edkins from the MOSOVO Team, said: “First of all, I’d like to thank the team at probation for their work on this case. Their help has been invaluable and together, we have brought Washbourn to justice.

“I’m pleased we have secured a conviction here as it demonstrates the zero-tolerance approach the police, probation, and the courts take when it comes to sex offenders breaching their conditions.

“We will continue working hard to bring more offenders to justice and hope this case is a lesson to others with similar orders.”

Washbourn was sentenced to 38 weeks in prison.