Sunderland pervert caught twice by paedophile hunters gets jailed again over secret phone

Paul Southern was snared by Guardians of the North when he responded to fake child profiles set up on Grindr in 2017 and asked underage boys to his home for sex.

After serving a 21-month prison sentence, he was back on the same site and was caught in 2018 by the same undercover group in the same way, when he asked a child "around for tea" at his house and jailed again, for 16 months.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the 41-year-old, from Sunderland, who is on the sex offenders register for life, has to abide by strict conditions due to his lifelong sexual harm prevention order and must tell the authorities aboutany phone or internet devices he has.

Prosecutor Kevin Wardlaw told the court in December last year Southern was caught with a mobile phone had had failed to declare.

Mr Wardlaw said: "For a three month period he failed to inform his risk management officer he had purchased it.

"The telephone was purchased by him from a second-hand shop in Newcastle on September 13.

"From looking at the history in terms of social media apps, telephone messaging, text messages, it is apparent from the first day he purchased the telephone he was using it, contrary to what he told the police, that he had only bought it three days prior to the discovery in December.

"There is no evidence of any unlawful use of the telephone."

The court heard Southern had used the handset to access Tinder and Grindr for "relationship and sexual purposes" but not in a criminal way as before.

Southern, of no fixed address, admitted breach of a sexual harm prevention order.

Judge Edward Bindloss sentenced him to 12 months behind bars.

The judge told him: "In my judgement this was a deliberate and persistent breach.

"You should have made it clear to the risk management officer you had purchased it."

Judge Bindloss said Southern's use of Grindr was a "particular concern" as it featured in his past offending despite no illegal activity in the recent case.

The judge told him: "I reiterate, there is nothing unlawful about it but it does, in my judgement, suggest an increased level of risk in this case.

"You are a risk to the public."

Jonathan Pigford, defending, said Southern suffers anxiety and depression and had been living in a hostel when released from his last prison sentence, where he was bored and isolated.

Mr Pigford said Southern had used the phone "intermittently" to try and form a relationship with peers and added: "There isn't anything that appears to cause concern, thankfully for Mr Southern, in this case."

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