Sex offender given jail warning after being caught with indecent photo of child and using 32 online aliases

Daniel Smith, 26, could be caged for at least three years after pleading guilty before borough magistrates to a string of offences.

He was found with the image when police checked his mobile phone as part of his offender management programme on Sunday and Monday, January 22-23.

Smith, previously of South Shields but now of Linthorpe Road, Gosforth, Newcastle, had also breached a previous court order by deleting his internet history.

And he was found in possession of two bank cards unknown to police and using 32 online aliases – all offences which happened in South Shields.

Prosecutor Glenda Beck said Smith was put on the sex offenders register for five years and made subject to a seven-year sexual harm prevention order in January 2018 at Newcastle Crown Court.

He had pleaded guilty to two charges of attempting to meet a girl aged under 16 following sexual grooming and attempting to cause or incite a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity.

Smith was hauled back into court in May 2020 for twice breaching the sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders register.

And he was jailed for 52 weeks, suspended for two years, last March for again breaching the sexual harm prevention order.

Of his latest offences, Mrs Beck said: “His police risk management officer visited him on August 26, 2021, and Mr Smith volunteered that he had deleted his internet history.

“His phone was seized and was given to the digital forensic unit. A forensic digital report identified deleted history from Chrome and Android browsers.

“There were also deleted Chrome and Facebook cookies and about 172 user accounts identified on the device.

“Of the 172 accounts, he had failed to register 32 with the police. On January 23 of this year, police arrested Mr Smith.”

Mrs Beck said Smith was asked to hand over all his internet browsing devices, at which point police found two unregistered bank cards.

She added: “An officer inspected his phone and found what he believed to be an obscene image of a child.

“This was sent to an officer who is trained in examining images and he placed it as a category C image of a child.

“It’s quite clear that Mr Smith cannot and does not comply with orders of the court.”

Smith pleaded guilty to deleting his internet history in breach of the terms of a sexual harm prevention notice and using 32 unregistered names.

He also admitted failing to register two bank cards and making an indecent pseudo photo of a child.

Smith committed all but the image offence between January 10, 2018, and August 26, 2021.

John Williams, defending, said: “The starting point is three years. There are aggravating factors.”

Smith was remanded into custody and will be sentenced at the crown court on Tuesday, February 21.