Sex offender sent back to prison after deleting internet history.

Scarborough Paedophile Jailed for Breaching Court Order

A Scarborough paedophile, John Palethorpe, 52, has been jailed for breaching a strict court order banning him from deleting evidence of his internet use.

Palethorpe was on prison licence and subject to a sexual-harm prevention order after serving a sentence for online sex offences. Police conducted a routine inspection visit to his home and discovered that he had deleted chat and messenger apps from his phone, as well as "several YouTube histories," in violation of the order.

Prosecutor Brooke Morrison stated that Palethorpe also failed to notify police about setting up new internet accounts.

Palethorpe, of Mount View Close, Scarborough, pleaded guilty to breaching the sexual-harm order and notification requirements. He appeared for sentencing on Wednesday, April 5.

Ms Morrison highlighted Palethorpe's previous convictions, including attempted sexual communication with a 12-year-old girl, attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, and attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act. These offences led to a jail sentence in December 2020 and the imposition of the sexual-harm order and notification requirements.

On that occasion, Palethorpe was caught by online "paedophile hunters" posing as children. He attempted to teach the 'girl' how to perform a sexual act on herself and expressed his desire to meet her.

Police monitoring officers continued to track Palethorpe's internet activities after his release from prison. During an unannounced visit last year, they discovered the deletion of the KIK messenger app, a Google chat app, and "several YouTube histories."

Officers also found two internet accounts, one under an alias, that Palethorpe had not disclosed, further violating his notification requirements.

A pre-sentence report by the Probation Service classified Palethorpe as a "high-risk offender."

His solicitor advocate David Camidge attributed Palethorpe's actions to "substance and alcohol misuse" at the time of the offences. He mentioned Palethorpe's current efforts to address his mental health and substance abuse issues with agencies in Scarborough.

Judge Simon Hickey acknowledged a probation officer's assertion that Palethorpe had engaged in "confessing and avoiding, trying to downplay these offences."

He declared, "Appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody because in my judgement you present a danger to the public."

Palethorpe was sentenced to 10 months in prison. He will serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.