Sex attacker jailed after targeting three girls in one day back in court after child abuse images found on phone

Paul Drewery was jailed for 12 months in October 2021 after he groped two teenagers and tried to grab an 11-year-old's breasts while "very drunk".

His phone was seized when his house was searched at the time but had not been examined by police specialists when he received the prison sentence at Newcastle Crown Court.

At the same court on Friday, prosecutor Susan Hirst told the court the handset has now undergone interrogation and a total of 95 illegal images were recovered from it.

Miss Hirst said the images were all category C, which is the least serious, and featured children estimated to be between the ages of 8 and 14.

Drewery, 47, formerly of Jarrow, and now of Albany, Washington, who has now been released from the jail term, admitted making indecent images of children.

Judge Robert Spragg sentenced him to a community order for 18 months with rehabilitation requirements, ten years sex offender registration and a sexualharm prevention order for ten years.

The judge said since Drewery's release from prison he has found settled accommodation, complied with the authorities and kept out of trouble.

Judge Spragg told him: "Given your current circumstances and steps you have taken you are now in a position to address your issues."

The court heard Drewery has health issues which have required medical intervention and surgery.

Drewery was given the original jail term for two charges of indecent assault and one of attempted indecent assault, which all happened on the same day in June 2021.

The first victim was targeted as she browsed clothing at Asda in Boldon, After groping the girl, Drewery asked "do you like that?" then claimed hehad been talking about an item of clothing she was looking at.

He was caught on security camera and traced by a card he had used to pay for a bottle of vodka while in the shop.

Later that day Drewery had grabbed at a girl in Jarrow, as she walked towards a park with her friends.

Drewery had been "stumbling around" during that attack and was seen "quietly laughing as he touched her".

The final victim was approached while she was playing out at a park in Jarrow with friends in the early evening, when Drewery followed her and tried to grab her breasts from behind.

The court heard Drewery had "very little recollection" of what he had done that day and read a letter of apology at his original sentence hearing.