Locations
St. Columbas Close, Coventry, CV1
Description
A convicted child sex offender who refused to give us the PIN to his mobile phone after we received information that he had sexual images of children on it has been jailed for two years.
Stanley Heames, aged 41, was arrested when we carried out a warrant at his home in September, acting on information that he was accessing child sexual abuse material.
A phone was hidden underneath a windowsill at his property, but he repeatedly refused to hand over the passcode.
We obtained an order from a judge, known as a Section 49 notice, which meant that he had to reveal his PIN to us within seven days.
He still refused, and so was charged with failing to comply with the order.
Heames, of St Columbas Close, Coventry, admitted the offence in December and was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court on Tuesday (3 Feb)
He was also given a sexual harm prevention order for 20 years, banning him from contacting, associating with or befriending girls under 16, and ordering him to hand over phones and PIN codes to any of his electronic devices when asked by police.
Heames was jailed for six years in 2017 for a series of sexual assaults on a girl under 13.
PC India Meredith, from our Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team (OCSET), said:
"We had information that Heames was accessing indecent images of children and so it was really important that we accessed his phone, especially given his previous convictions for sexually assaulting a young girl.
"This case goes to show that to bring predators and criminals to justice is the main responsibility of policing and the use of all legal and lawful means to do so will be explored to the full extent of the law to ensure that the public are protected.
"Heames is now behind bars, and has strict conditions on him for the next two decades which will protect the public and support police in monitoring his behaviour and actions.
"We have advanced digital forensic techniques which are always evolving. This case shows we will pursue all available means to ensure criminals face justice."