Nathan Mulvana 23

Description

A convicted sex offender who was banned from contacting any girl who was under the age of 16 brazenly ignored the court order by repeatedly trying to have sexualised chats with girls on Snapchat.

Nathan Mulvana told one 15-year-old girl that she had an "amazing figure" and asked another girl of the same age if she had ever sent nude photos online. But he was now in a "last chance saloon" and faced being jailed if he committed any more sexual offences, Hull Crown Court heard.

Mulvana, 23, of the Inglemire Lane area of Hull, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to breach a sexual harm prevention order on August 9, 2022.

Jazmine Lee, prosecuting, said that the original sexual harm prevention order was made at Beverley Magistrates' Court on December 6, 2018. It was designed to ban him from contacting any girl under the age of 16 but, through his actions, he was in breach of the order.

Mulvana was arrested and interviewed for separate, but similar, offences on September 7, 2022 and, as a result of that investigation, his phone was seized and examined. A Snapchat account was seen and, as part of his conversations on the social media network, it was discovered that some of the accounts that police identified involved children aged under 16.

The chats seemed to be short, but Mulvana tried to engage in sexual conversations with the girls. They did not, however, appear to have engaged with him for long. He asked one of the girls if she had been sexually active but he did not receive a response.

"He also stated that she had an amazing figure," said Miss Lee. "The account clearly stated in that conversation that she was 15 years old and he claims to be 16.

"Further, he asked another account if she had ever sent nudes and she replies that she has not. The conversation ends. She, too, clearly states in that conversation that she is 15."

There was another conversation with a girl said to be aged 14, but it ended before the chat turned sexual. During police interview, Mulvana claimed that he logged out of his Snapchat account in the May of 2022, so the conversations could not have been him.

He confirmed, however, that all the Snapchat accounts investigated by police belonged to him. He claimed that he did not recall the conversations.

Mulvana had convictions for four previous offences. They included sexual assault of a child and exposure. He had been sent to a young offenders' institution for two years and four months and was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

He also had convictions for harassment and failing to comply with his notification requirements as a sex offender. He was in breach of a one-year community order imposed for those offences.

Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that Mulvana pleaded guilty and made admissions. He realised that he had issues that needed to be tackled with the help of the probation service. He was still young and needed to mature.

Mulvana was given a six-month suspended prison sentence, 30 days' rehabilitation and a 33-day sex offenders' treatment programme. He was given a five-year sexual harm prevention order.

Recorder Bryan Cox KC said that Mulvana would be given help to try to steer him away from further sexual offences. "If you do commit any further sexual offences, there is a very high likelihood that you will be going to prison," said Recorder Cox. "This is a last chance saloon for you."