He was warned that he faces being jailed if he commits any more offences
Simon Clayden, pictured at Hull Crown Court(Image: Hull Live)
A convicted sex offender who was spared prison after sending a series of “repulsive” and “quite revolting” online messages to a decoy 13-year-old girl later landed himself in trouble with the police again. Simon Clayden breached a court order and used a computer device without telling the police, Hull Crown Court heard.
Clayden, 57, formerly of Eastgate, Rudston, near Bridlington, admitted breaching a sexual harm prevention order between May 2 and 13 this year by using an internet-enabled device without registering it with the police within three days of acquiring it. He was prohibited from doing this under the terms of the order.
The court heard that, on May 8 last year, Clayden was given a 16-month suspended prison sentence, a sex offenders’ treatment programme and 15 days’ rehabilitation. He was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and was told that he must register as a sex offender for 10 years.
The orders were made after he admitted attempting to communicate sexually with a child, attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity and two offences of making indecent images of children.
Ashleigh Metcalfe, prosecuting, told the earlier hearing that, on December 30, 2022, Clayden sent sexual messages to what he thought was the profile of a 13-year-old girl on an online chat app. It was, however, in reality an undercover police officer.
The fake girl told Clayden that she was 13 but he replied: “Cool” and asked her what she was wearing. He asked to see her naked and continued to send sexualised messages, including asking explicit questions.
He told her: “I won’t tell” and said that he liked the fact that she was just 13. The messages were all apparently sent on just one day. Clayden seemingly stopped sending them voluntarily and there had been no repetition, said Miss Metcalfe.
What Clayden was saying in the messages was “quite revolting” and “repulsive” and the “terrible talk” by him would have been “highly corrupting” if it had been a real 13-year-old girl, the court heard.
The messages were passed to the police, who went to Clayden’s home on February 2, 2023 after identifying him from his online details. His phone was searched and police found five indecent images of children in Category B and 22 in Category C, dating from between October 2020 and February 2023.
The children involved in the images were aged between four and 16. Sexual acts were involved. During police interview, he denied any sexual interest in children and denied any knowledge of the images of children on his phone.
At the latest hearing, Clayden, recently of Chester Road, Helsby, Cheshire, was given an eight-month suspended prison sentence and 15 days’ rehabilitation. He was warned that he faces being jailed if he commits any more offences. He was ordered to pay £150 costs.
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