Hartlepool pervert locked back up four days after release

Gavin Thornton bought a new mobile when he was released from custody and almost immediately signed up to the Bigo live streaming app and Opera online browser, a judge heard.

Saba Shan, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court Thornton had bought the phone and had not registered it with the police following his release from custody after serving time for child sex offences.

The 45-year-old was caught when police carried out a random check on the registered sex offender on April 14 this year.

Gavin Thornton (Image: Cleveland Police)

Thornton, formerly of Hartlepool, who appeared in court via video link from Durham Prison, pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching the conditions of his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

He was jailed for 32 months in September last year, after being found with a large collection of child abuse images and videos, featuring children as young as four.

The defendant was caught after speaking to an undercover police officer on a photo sharing website used by perverts to share images.

Nigel Soppitt, mitigating, said his client had intended to register the mobile phone and had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

He said: “Since his remand in custody, he has got back into the swing of things, he works hard and he is doing alright – he has resigned himself to the fact that he will be there for some more time.”

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Recorder Paul Reid jailed Thornton to 14 months in custody for his latest offences.

He said: "You have got a terrible record for offences involving children, you clearly have an unhealthy and illegal interest in children – you are going to have to cease that, one way or another.

“You need to work with probation to rid yourself of this habit. It is destructive and it is destructive to you which will lead to increasingly longer periods in prison.”

The judge issued a renewed ten-year SHPO for the defendant.