Registered sex offender sent back to prison for using electronic cleaning software

A 31-year-old registered sex offender has been sent back to prison after he breached his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

James Coombes, previously of Northampton, was convicted in 2016 of causing/inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and making indecent images of children.

He was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register as a result and issued with a SHPO, meaning that he had to abide by some very strict conditions when he was released from prison.

He was also subject to unannounced visits from Northamptonshire Police’s MOSOVO Team. These visits could happen on any day and at any time.

So, on February 10, when the team visited his home address in Northampton and examined his devices, they discovered that he had used electronic cleaning software on his computer and removed 4.3gb of data which he said he had used to clear gaming files.

The use of this software, however, was prohibited, and Coombes was arrested and charged with breaching his SHPO.

He pleaded guilty to the offence at Northampton Magistrates’ Court last week (February 11) and was sentenced to one year in prison.

Detective Inspector Hayley Thurston from the MOSOVO Team said: “A year in prison may seem like a lot for using cleaning software but a breach is a breach, and we will always seek prison time when one occurs.

“I hope this result provides some reassurance to our communities as to how closely registered sex offenders are managed and monitored when they are released from prison.

“In the MOSOVO team, we are all very passionate about what we do, and we will continue working hard to ensure anyone like Coombes is managed closely, visited regularly day and night, and sent to prison if they commit any breaches.”