Sunderland sex offender spared jail over Facebook, Snapchat, Telegram and Pure Dating deletion

A Sunderland sex offender who deleted chat apps from his phone against the orders of a court and without police permission has kept his liberty.

Martin Kirkwood, 39, was jailed for 18 weeks but had the sentence suspended for a year by magistrates who said they would give him a final chance.

Kirkwood, of Church Street North, Roker, downloaded apps including Facebook, Snapchat, Telegram and Pure Dating – but then erased them.

Under the terms of a seven-year sexual harm prevention order, he was allowed to access the internet but not to delete.

The order was imposed in 2018 after he was convicted at crown court of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

For that offence, the bearded defendant was imprisoned for six months, suspended for two years.

Prosecutor Paul Anderson said Kirkwood’s latest antics were exposed when his risk assessment officer reviewed his mobile phone history.

Mr Anderson added: “An officer carried out a home risk assessment review. The defendant handed over his mobile phone and pin code.

“Apps had been downloaded but they were no longer on the device. He said they had been downloaded and he had then deleted them.

“The officer confirmed they had been downloaded on more than one occasion.

“The defendant said he had looked through the apps and deleted them. He was told he wasn’t allowed to do that.

“He has done what he has done and has accepted what he has done. It was a deliberate action.”

Kirkwood pleaded guilty to a charge of deleting internet history when prohibited from doing so by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order.

South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard he was sentenced to an 18-month community order in November for a first order breach.

The Probation Service told the hearing Kirkwood was complying well with the terms of the order.

Gerry Armstrong, defending, said: “He can access the internet but can’t delete. He shouldn’t have deleted without the police telling him he could.

“He has done good work over the six months of the community order, there has been excellent compliance.”

Magistrates also ordered Kirkwood to pay a £154 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.

John Lee, chair of the bench, told him he had committed a “very serious offence” and it had been a “deliberate breach”