A man who was previously given a sexual harm prevention order for offences where he made and possessed indecent images of children has breached the terms of that order.
Police also found a bag of amphetamine when they searched the home of Danny Kershaw when they had gone to do a compliance check.
Kershaw, 30, was sentenced to 16 months in prison suspended for 24 months in April 2016 and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and notification requirements for 10 years.
Prosecuting at Burnley Crown Court, Mercedah Jabbari said part of Kershaw’s order was to not delete any internet history from any of his devices and to register any bank account he opened or closed with the police.
Officers attended Kershaw’s home on December 12, 2022, to conduct a compliance check.
He handed over an iPhone 7 and the officers noted there was no history on the Safari application past January 2022. The last visit had been in October 2021, so there were gaps in the history.
They also noted there were a number of apps on the phone for banks that had not all been registered.
Further checks on the phone showed on the Google search history that Kershaw had searched for how to delete history on the phone.
When officers discovered a number of bank cards in his phone case, he said he did not know he had to register those.
The phone was seized and when officers conducted a search of his house, they found a bag of amphetamine in a jacket pocket.
Mitigating for Kershaw, Graham Rishton said: “He is deeply sorry for his conduct.
"Your honour will have seen some of the background circumstances that existed at the time which do not afford him any excuse but provide some context as to why this happened.
“Central to that is Covid and how that impacted upon his employment in the hospitality sector. That lack of having something constructive to do and lack of regular contact with others.
“He has a realistic prospect of rehabilitation demonstrated by long periods of compliance and that he was worked previously with probation.
“He has addressed his issues with amphetamine and he is no longer taking the drug at all.”
Sentencing, Judge Daniel Prowse said: “Officers attended your home to check compliance. You came down with a mobile phone and it was apparent you had not restored your search history as you should have done.
“There were concerns about what you were looking at. You say in your pre-sentence report it was a stupid mistake and there was no real reason for it.
“This is a deliberate breach. You chose to delete that history, it was not accidental.”
Kershaw, of Hawthorne Meadows, Crawshawbooth, was given a nine-month sentence suspended for 12 months.
He will have to complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and pay a fine of £200.
Judge Prowse finished by saying: “You understand how close you came to going to prison today.
"If you come back to court in breach of those orders, that is exactly where you will go.”
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