Description
A convicted sex offender has been jailed after striking up a relationship with a 'vulnerable' woman he met on Facebook.
Scott Bray, 24, was handed a 12-month suspended jail sentence and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) in July for three offences of making child abuse images. But he breached the SHPO by failing to tell police within three days that he had a phone and an Xbox games console.
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Bray used the phone to contact a 23-year-old woman with learning difficulties who has become his girlfriend.
He also breached the notification requirements of the sex offenders' register by using three social media accounts with different names without informing the authorities. And he was in breach of the suspended sentence by staying at an address in the Potteries without prior permission from his offender manager. Now Bray has been jailed for 16 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.
Prosecutor Ben Lawrence said on January 4 police visited an address in Stoke-on-Trent where Bray was living with his new girlfriend. Mr Lawrence said: "He was twice asked for a phone and he denied having one. Eventually he admitted he did have one. He had it from at least December 31, more than three days.
"It was that phone he used to communicate with the vulnerable woman. In his police interview Bray said he used the phone since mid November.
The court heard police visited his home again on January 18 and recovered an Xbox games console. Mr Lawrence said: "His grandmother was spoken to. She revealed he had been using social media accounts in three different names. That put him in breach of the notification requirements.
"She also confirmed he had been speaking online to the vulnerable woman, his girlfriend, using those accounts and names. He was interviewed about it and agreed he was in breach of the SHPO."
Bray, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching a SHPO; failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders' register; and breaching a suspended prison sentence.
Rob Holt, mitigating, said: "He says he is genuinely sorry and remorseful for his behaviour. He has learned his lessons and won't be making the same mistakes again."
He said Bray met the vulnerable woman on Facebook and did not target her. He said his client had been assaulted in custody and is suffering from anxiety and depression.
Mr Holt added: "He has not given proper regard to the order in detail and the level of consideration that needs to be given to these orders. It will not be repeated, he tells me."
Recorder Julian Taylor said: "I regard these as very serious breaches." Bray remains subject to the 10 year SHPO and is on the sex offenders' register for the same period.