A convicted sex offender, who had previously walked free after being caught by a paedophile hunter group has been jailed for breaching a court order.
Terry Yates had failed to register his new phones and social media apps with police and was not a good liar, a court heard.
“He is not a very proficient liar when it comes to covering his back,” said Yates’ lawyer.
But he pointed out that apart from breaching his court orders by not registering his two new mobile phones there was no evidence of further offences.
Yates had two suspended prison sentences hanging over him at the time and when he appeared in court last month admitting breaching the terms of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order and his Sex Offenders registration he was remanded in custody until yesterday. (Tuesday)
Defence barrister Simon Leong said, “It has been a wake-up call. Some might say he has had that already but some people need a nudge and some need a slap in the face.
“Now he has been remanded in custody it has definitely put matters into perspective for him.”
Yates, of Whitworth Close, Birchwood, had walked free from court last September after engaging in sex chats with someone whom he believed was a 14-year-old girl.
He sent messages calling the teen his ‘gorgeous princess’ and asking her to look at his ‘little willy’.
He also asked her to send him a video of herself ‘giggling’ and asked for photographs of her in her school uniform.
Unknown to him he was actually talking to an account operated by a paedophile hunter group who confronted him at his home on July 2 last year. He later pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child.
Simon Christie, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that on March 17 this year two police officers called at his home and examined an iPhone which he had registered and found it appeared to be linked to other devices.
“He denied having any other devices but following a search one officer found a Samsung Galaxy under the duvet on his bed.”
He admitted he had another Galaxy in a drawer in his bedroom. A box for one of the phones was found with a receipt dated January 19 this year.
A folder was found on the phone called ‘social media’ and this contained various apps including Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Snapchat, X, Telegram and Kik, said Mr Christie.
Yates was arrested and when questioned claimed to have only bought one of the phones two days earlier and could not register it as the police station was closed but intended to do so on April 18. When it was pointed out that the receipt was dated in January he said it did not relate to the phone. He declined to answer questions about the social media apps but said he had not made any contact with children via them.
Yates aged 41, said he had not registered the phones because he had forgotten and also claimed he did not understand the requirements of the orders.
He pleaded guilty to four offences of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order and another of breaching the terms of his Sex Offenders registration.
Judge David Aubrey, KC, said he accepted Yates had been “leading an isolated existence” and that this would be his first immediate custodial sentence.
He jailed Yates, who appeared via video link, for a total of 19 months.
