Wigan sex offender avoids jail as 'porn addiction' lands him back in the dock

Neil Blower had pleaded guilty last year to three counts of making indecent images of a child, after being arrested in November 2016.

He was given a five-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) as part of his sentence, which involved prohibiting him from having any computers or other internet-enabled devices in his home, unless given permission by the police.

He was also banned from using any remote storage devices, more commonly known as “cloud storage” which were capable of storing images and videos.

But he was hauled back before the courts after admitting to browsing the internet and downloading large amounts of pornography.

At Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court, the 52-year-old, of Pepper Lane in Standish, was given a suspended prison sentence for breaking his order.

The court heard how, on December 29, police arrested Blower after tracking software detected he had been accessing the web and was using cloud storage software without permission.

They attended his address, and seized several electronic devices including an Xbox 360 console.

He confirmed to officers that he understood the terms of his court order, and what he was prohibited from doing.

He said he had been using the internet mostly for activities such as online banking and shopping, but revealed he was addicted to porn, and he was using cloud storage sites to store adult content.

He said his “excessive use of porn” had made it “unmanageable” for him to adhere to his SHPO.

Defending Blower, Nick Lloyd said his client had been complacent in not telling the police about his games console.

“The arrest that occurred in December has been a sobering experience that he needed,” Mr Lloyd said.

“To be arrested and spending that long in police custody was a very sobering and uncomfortable experience, and one that he has dwelled upon. This is someone who isn’t going to trouble the courts again.”

Magistrates sentenced Blower to four months in custody, but suspended the sentence for a period of two years.

He must also pay £200 in court costs and undertake a 30 day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.