Sex offender has been jailed after he was caught using a dating site and aliases online.

Teesside Sex Offender Jailed for Online Activity Breaches

A Teesside sex offender, Aaron Hughes (27), has been sentenced to prison after being found to have violated his court-ordered restrictions on internet use. Hughes was subject to a strict sex offender order that limited his online activities, yet he was caught using the aliases "deathstorm" and "electro_darkness" on platforms like TikTok and Kik messenger.

Furthermore, he had created accounts on the dating app Tinder, as well as on Snapchat and Instagram. These actions were discovered on July 28 when his sex offender manager conducted a risk assessment at his home. His phone revealed the downloaded and subsequently deleted apps.

Hughes, residing on King Street in South Bank, Redcar, pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and one count of breaching a suspended sentence. The order was initially imposed in November of the previous year following his conviction for making indecent images of children. He had previously received a suspended prison sentence in 2021 for the same offense.

In his defense, Michele Turner argued that Hughes possesses "mild learning disabilities" and has experienced a challenging upbringing. Despite this, Judge Paul Watson sentenced Hughes to 19 months in prison.