Man jailed for breaching Sexual Harm Prevention Order

A man has been sent to prison for two years after breaching the conditions of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Christopher Barr, 42, of Rodwell Court, Hersham, was sentenced when he appeared at Guildford Crown Court on Thursday (16 November).

Barr, a registered sex offender, has previous convictions dating back to 2007 with regards to making and possessing indecent images of children, as well as previous convictions for possession extreme images and breaching his Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

Following a conviction for further indecent image offences in 2013, Barr was given a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, with a number of conditions, including prohibiting him from accessing the internet and engaging in any written or oral communication relating to the sexual abuse of children.

Officers from the Force’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team received information from CEOP (the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children), that a person, believed to be using false details, had exchanged suspected indecent images online and had also expressed a sexual interest in children.

The individual was identified as Barr and officers immediately carried out a search warrant at his address, seizing a number of devices.

Barr was released pending further enquiries. However, during that time he continued to offend, again using false details.

He was arrested again and remanded in custody, after being charged with five counts of breaching his SHPO and failing to comply with notification requirements.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Steve Branch said: “The conditions of Barr’s SHPO were clearly defined and he has breached them repeatedly on several different occasions. The conditions were imposed to ensure he did not pose a threat or risk to children and he has continued to violate these, which means he will now face two years behind bars as a consequence of his blatant disregard for the law.

“I hope that this serves as a clear warning that we will strictly enforce the conditions of such orders and that anyone flouting them will be dealt with extremely seriously.”