Man, 23, jailed for breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order

A 23-year-old man has been sent to prison after he was found to have breached the conditions of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

SHPOs are issued by the courts to sex offenders and are designed to prevent a person from engaging in activities that could pose a risk of sexual harm to the public.

As a registered sex offender and someone subject to such an order, Lee Wickers-Fitzpatrick was expected to abide by very strict conditions and received regular unannounced visits from Northamptonshire Police’s MOSOVO Team.

However, on April 19, this year, a routine visit at Wickers-Fitzpatrick’s home uncovered the fact that he had more mobile phones than he had declared.

He was also found to be in possession of a passport that he had acquired and not informed police of.

As a result, he was charged with one count of breaching his SHPO and one count of failing to comply with his Sex Offenders’ Register requirements.

After being bailed to appear before the court to answer the charges, Wickers-Fitzpatrick was further arrested at the beginning of October after being found with a 17-year-old girl and also in possession of another mobile phone he hadn’t made police aware of.

He was charged with another count of breaching his SHPO as a result.

After pleading guilty to the offences at Northampton Crown Court at earlier court hearings, Wickers-Fitzpatrick returned to the same court on October 24 where he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.

Lead investigator PC Lauren Slinn from the Force’s MOSOVO Team said: “Not notifying police that you have a new phone may seem like a minor offence but we take a zero-tolerance approach to these kinds of breaches.

“I am pleased to see Wickers-Fitzpatrick jailed and I want to reassure the community that we will continue working hard to bring more people like him to justice.

“Over the years we have heard all manner of excuses from offenders including not being fully aware of their notification requirements, not having the time to tell us about a change in circumstances, as well as the fact they have simply forgotten.

“None of these excuses will ever wash and you will go back to prison if you commit a breach.”