Sunderland sex offender back in court after deleting viewed pornography from his TV watchlist

Mark Davison, 32, admitted to police who turned up at his home in Langdale Road, Penshaw, he viewed pornography on his TV up to three times a week.

He also confessed he had deleted evidence of it out of embarrassment, South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard.

But his admission saw him back in court for breaching the terms of a sexual harm prevention order, imposed at Newcastle Crown Court in February 2020.

It came after Davison was convicted of a charge of causing or inciting a person aged under-13 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity two months earlier.

Magistrates were told the order carries two conditions, one of which he had broken in his confession to police at his abode on Friday, March 18.

Any electronic device he owns must be capable of retaining its internet history, and he must not delete its watched pages.

Prosecutor Elizabeth Winchester said: “The defendant was convicted of sex offences on December 17, 2019.

“He was subject to a sexual harm prevention order, and put on the sex offenders register on February 19, 2020.

“On March 18 this year, police attended his home to carry out a risk assessment. His electronic devices were checked, and that included his TV.

“He admitted to the officers to watching pornography two or three times a week on TV, but on a review of the TV, no pornography was found.

“He was asked if he had deleted any history and he said that he must have.”

Davison pleaded guilty to breaching a risk of sexual harm order by deleting the history of his Samsung Smart TV.

Defence solicitor David Forrester described Davison’s as “an unusual case”.

He added: “I say that because if he hadn’t spoken to the police and said that he’d been watching pornography on this TV, they wouldn’t have known.

“Had he not brought it to their attention in the first place, then they wouldn’t have known what to look for.

“It’s the removal of something he was embarrassed about.”

Magistrates adjourned the case for reports and granted Davison unconditional bail to be sentenced at the same court on Tuesday, May 31.