A SEX offender breached an order imposed after a previous conviction by gaining access to the internet via a computer game owned by his father.

Andrew Edward Hall was made subject to a sexual offences prevention order (Sopo) in April, 2012, after admitting 17 charges relating to the downloading and possession of indecent images of children from the internet, for which he received a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.

Durham Crown Court heard that the order stated he must inform police within three days of acquiring any device allowing access to the internet.

Nigel Soppitt, prosecuting, told the court that he breached the order twice between July and October 2012, for which he was jailed for six months in January the following year.

These breaches related to him gaining access to the internet without notifying police, after he was found in possession of a photograph of a female child on a smart phone.

Mr Soppitt said as part of police monitoring procedures Hall was visited at his home on January 19 and asked if he had any devices offering access to the internet.

He denied having any, but a phone was found to provide access to the internet, while a Play Station 3 (PS3) computer game was discovered.

Although it was said to belong to his father, Hall accepted he had used it since November last year to connect to the internet, knowing it breached the Sopo, conceding he had accessed “porn”.

Mr Soppitt said he also used it to access chat rooms and to upload naked pictures of himself over previous months.

He said he used his father’s PS3 up to two hours a day at times and turned to it as the police were “constantly” checking his phone.

Twenty-eight-year-old Hall, of Haverley Drive, Seaham, admitted a charge of breaching the Sopo.

Bill Davison, mitigating, told the court that Hall’s father was unaware of his son’s activities on the PS3, other than to play the computer game itself.

“The defendant made full admissions and, although not unintelligent, he concedes he’s had difficulty overcoming his problems, which amount to a downloading addiction.

“It’s caused his family great distress.”

Jailing him for two years, Judge Christopher Prince told Hall he had “flagrantly” flouted the Sopo, “displaying a complete contempt for court orders.”

He was made subject of further restrictions by way of a sexual harm prevention order, “until further order”, and registration as a sex offender for ten years.