A REGISTERED sex offender has been jailed for what a judge called the “very persistent” breach of a court order he received for possessing indecent images of children.
Forty-year-old Gary Crandley was made subject to strict conditions governing his online use under a requirement he was given when originally sentenced in 2009.
Crandley was handed prison sentences in 2013, 2014 and 2017 for flouting that order in the south of England.
And he found himself in hot water again around the turn of this year, Carlisle Crown Court heard, after striking up what became “increasingly sexualised” text contact with two 16-year-old girls. He had sent them a lewd image of himself and asked the girls to return the favour.
That concerning conduct was uncovered by police who learned he had breached the indefinite sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) both by having an internet-enabled iPhone and also deleting online browsing history. Crandley, latterly of Cumberland Court, Carlisle, also initially lied to police, telling officers he had no such phone and hadn’t engaged in sexual contact with the girls. But he later admitted breaching the SHPO.
Despite saying in court he was sorry for flouting the requirement, he was given an immediate 20-month jail term for what Judge Nicholas Barker called “a very persistent breach”.
Crandley will remain subject to the strict SHPO terms.
