A PERVERT with a fetish for spanking young boys has been jailed for deleting computer files called ‘naughty boy’ and ‘naughty boy 2’.

Robert Humble’s deviant behaviour came to light during a routine inspection of his digital devices after he was issued with a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) in 2019.

The 71-year-old was arrested in January when a mobile phone, a computer memory stick and an rewritable DVD disc were discovered in his home during a regular search of his property.

Police officers returned two months later to carry out another inspection and it was at this point the files were recovered from his computer recycle bin.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the pensioner told officers that it was his ‘habit’ to delete files.

Judge Jonathan Carroll sentenced Humble to eight months in custody for four breaches of his SHPO, describing the first three as 'technical breaches' but told the defendant the fourth breach was 'serious'.

"Having committed the offences you had committed there is a public interest in the close and careful management of your online behaviour so as to minimise any future risk to children in the future," he said.

"That is not optional, you don't get to pick and choose which bits to comply with and which bits you don't comply with – you comply with it all and you do so fully and completely."

He added: "Your supervising officer attended and examined your computer, there were elements which caused him concern and he went to seek advice.

"When he returned to continue the examination of your computer and you had deleted files and in the recycle bin there were two files entitled naughty boys and naughty boys 2, so you had deleted them and that was a breach of your order.

"When asked about it you said 'it was out of habit' that carries a clear inference that is something you do and do regularly. You said in clear terms that you thought you had deleted them."

Humble, formerly from the Teesside area, appeared in court via a videolink from HMP Northumberland. He pleaded guilty to all four breaches of his SHPO.

Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, said the mobile phone, memory stick and DVD were checked and showed that they had not been used since he was convicted in 2019 and sentenced to two years and six months in prison.

Miss Atkinson said the search of Humble's computer in March revealed he had deleted a number of images and files, including naughty boy and naughty boy 2.

She told the court that he admitted deleting the files because he wanted to avoid by the 'old me' and preventing him from rousing his old sexual 'which predominantly involved spanking children'.

John Nixon, in mitigation, said his client had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and deserved full credit after showing 'contrition'.

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