A convicted sex offender appeared before Bath magistrates on Monday 20th October charged with breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.
Sidney Brierley, of Jesse Hughes Court at Lower Swainswick, had been convicted at Bristol Crown Court in January 2015 for offences relating to indecent images of children.
He admitted that on 28th February 2024 he had failed to produce 39 internet-enabled devices and digital storage, which he was required to do so due to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).
The 36-year-old also admitted that on 27th February 2024, as a registered sex offender he had failed to comply with notification requirements by failing to register 15 bank cards.
The prosecutor told the court that there was nothing to say that any of the devices contained images of children.
Both the SOPO and Brierley’s inclusion on the Sex Offender Register were in place in February 2024. His placement on the register has now expired but the SOPO remains “indefinite”.
Brierley’s solicitor told the court that the two offences had been a “genuine mistake”.
She said he had purchased the devices to repair and re-sell, and the reason for the numerous bank cards in his name was that he used them to create free subscriptions to platforms.
She stressed that “nothing untoward” had been found on the devices.
Magistrates remanded Brierley on unconditional bail until 24th November for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
They said they would be considering all options, including committing him to Bristol Crown Court for sentence.
