Lancashire sex offender caught with photos of young children on his mobile phone escapes prison sentence

A registered sex offender who was found with photos of young kids on his mobile phone escaped a prison sentence when he appeared before a judge at Preston.

Paul Moores, 56, pleaded guilty to being in possession of two Category C indecent images of children and 26 pictures of extreme pornography when police arrested him at a city centre hotel after going missing from supported living accommodation.

Moores admitted breaching a sexual harm prevention order by not informing the probation service of a change of address. He was given a six-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months.

Judge Simon Medland KC was told that Moores had been living at Holland House in Mount Street, Preston which was approved accommodation under the order imposed in 2015 following a prison term.

Conditions of the sexual harm prevention order prevented him from moving without informing the authorities. He was also ordered not to have any device that police were not aware of which could access pornographic material.

He was posted as a missing person by police and eventually located at the Preston International Hotel.

Officers who interviewed him discovered he had a mobile phone which contained two indecent photographs of children and another 26 images which were deemed to be of extreme pornography.

There was evidence on the phone that he had been searching for pornographic material.

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Barrister Rachel Oakdene, prosecuting, said: “He (Moores) had not got approval by the probation service to stay at that address.”

When arrested, questions were raised over his mental health and he was taken for an assessment. He admitted using the phone and searching online for images of children.

The device was sent off for examination and it was found to contain two indecent images of children (Category C) and 26 extreme pornographic images.

“The defendant was seemingly unhappy when residing at the approved premises – he was very unhappy at the house,” said Ms Oakdene.

His previous convictions included offences of indecent assault and one of gross indecency with a child. A previous breach of the sexual prevention order resulted in him being sent to prison for 32 months.

Naomi Duckworth, for Moores, told the court her client had complex mental issues, but he had “no illusions about the seriousness of these matters.”

Judge Medland told the defence: “I don’t want to lock him up on this occasion, I want to suspend the sentence.”

And then he told Moores: “I appreciate that in many ways you have had a very, very difficult life and there are times, no doubt, when you feel institutionalised and trapped.

“But you must understand that these rules are here to protect you from yourself and to stop you getting into trouble.

“Over the years you have an attraction to sexual behaviour of a nature which is unacceptable.”

The judge also ordered Moores to attend 40 rehabilitation activity days over the next 18 months.