A PERVERT who shared photographs and videos of child abuse and pornography online has been spared jail after breaching a sexual harm prevention order just one year after he was convicted.

Jake Cresswell was previously sentenced to two years in prison after more than 3,000 prohibited images of children and 74 of extreme pornography were discovered on his computer and phone.

The 21-year-old who was branded “the worst example of child pornography” was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order when he appeared in Teesside Crown Court last March.

But 16 months later Cresswell was once again brought before the court for breaching the order after he downloaded and then deleted several dating apps including Grindr, Tinder and Bumble.

Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, said the breach followed messages to a vulnerable person who he arranged to meet with – but was intercepted by police before he could.

She said: “He was subjected to the order by this court in March last year for the offences of making and distributing indecent images of children.

“He had some form of contact with a vulnerable person and a meeting was intercepted.

“He downloaded apps onto his phone including Grindr, Tinder and Bumble on June 10th and his phone was seized. They found that a number of apps were deleted.”

Recommending a starting point of a one year jail sentence, she added: “He chose to download multiple apps and delete them, it wasn’t a one off.”

But the court heard that Cresswell is “working with the relevant authorities to address his issues”.

Kelly Lodge, defending, said: “Mr Cresswell has been very honest and open in providing information in relation to his breach.

“When he was arrested by police he admitted what he had done before he was interviewed and he entered a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity.

“He is a young individual and he appears to be working with the relevant authorities to address his issues.”

She said Cresswell, of The Hills, Skelton, east Cleveland, voluntarily wears a 24 hour monitoring tag and has enrolled on a rehabilitation programme.

The court heard he also told police about the meeting he arranged with the vulnerable person to stop himself from going through with it.

But Ms Lodge added that he “does test the boundaries.”

Judge Howard Crowson said Cresswell deliberately breached the order which was in place to protect potential victims.

But the 21-year-old was spared jail and instead handed a 10 month suspended sentence.

Addressing Cresswell, Judge Crowson said: “Why would he delete them if he thought they were fine? Those apps have one purpose.

“I am trying to protect other people from the risk that you pose, you might not see yourself the way I do.

“It a lot of cases where boundaries are tested, it is not because they are ignorant of it, it is because they think they can get away with it.

“I hope the risks will diminish with the rehabilitation programme but this is not a good start.

“I am sure this was a deliberate breach and if you push the boundaries then you will go to prison.”