A convicted sex offender will be punished next month for breaching a court order he received for downloading hundreds of illegal images of children — by setting up an online dating app account.
David Nowak, now aged 47, was originally sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court in 2017 having viewed and catalogued still and moving images of children over a period of more than six years.
There were almost 700 photographs and movies on a laptop and hard drive — 272 classed in category A, the most serious.
After admitting four charges, Nowak was handed a community order by a judge who read a host of background reports and learned of the defendant’s low IQ.
As part of the sentence, he was also ordered to comply with the strict terms of a sexual harm prevention order, designed to restrict his online use.
But Nowak was back at the crown court today. He admitted three breaches of the order which occurred on dates between mid-September, 2021, and early January this year.
One occurred as he set up an account on the social media app Grindr, the court heard, while the other two breaches related to unlawful possession of electronic devices — a Samsung Galaxy mobile phone and a Firestick.
Judge Richard Archer noted Nowak’s breaches came to light because of contact with adults, and not children.
Sean Harkin, defending, asked for the case to be adjourned for the preparation of a probation service pre-sentence report.
“There has been a long period of compliance prior to these breaches,” said Mr Harkin, “and an even longer period of time of not committing any offences.
“The defendant may have some potential to comply with the order. It is important to see whether support can be put in place to promote the compliance rather than lock him up.”
Judge Archer agreed, postponing the sentencing until March 3 and remanding Nowak, of Wastwater Road, Whitehaven, in custody until then.
