A convicted sex offender is back in jail after he failed to hand over his mobile phone to police and tried to jump on a bus to escape the scene, a court heard.

Specialist officers spotted John Graham waiting at a bus stop after they attended his home to carry out a routine inspection of his digital devices.

The 35-year-old had a sexual harm prevention order imposed almost a decade ago when he was caught in possession of extreme pornographic images.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Graham pulled up his hood and refused to talk to the officers when they attempted to speak to him in Thornaby last month.

Rachel Butt, prosecuting, said: “He tried to get on the bus to try to get away from the police officers.”

The court heard how the defendant had several previous convictions for breaching his sexual harm prevention order and failing to adhere to the conditions of his notification requirement order.

Graham was arrested in similar circumstances in November 2020 and was sentenced to 12 months in prison after he was caught deleting dating apps from his mobile phone.

The defendant, of Avon Close, Thornaby, pleaded guilty to one breach of his SHPO following his arrest on November 11 this year.

John Nixon, mitigating, said his autistic client had felt overwhelmed when the officers approached him in the street, pulled his hood up to stop members of the public staring at him and wasn't really hiding his mobile phone.

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“There is no suggestion he has deleted any material or corrupted the device in any way,” he said.

“He says he experienced an autistic moment and his brain wasn’t able to function properly or make decisions.”

Recorder Taryn Turner locked Graham up for 12-months after he deliberately breached his SHPO again.

“I’m not unsympathetic to the fact you have mental health issues,” she said. “I have considered whether I can suspend your sentence, however, I have decided that the only sentence that I can pass is one of immediate custody.”