Pervert snared by paedophile hunters back in court over deleted Facebook and Instagram profiles.

Sex Offender Arrested for Breaching Order

Matthew Hodgkiss, a sex offender previously caught by paedophile hunters, has been apprehended by police for breaching his sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with the sex offenders register.

Hodgkiss, 45, was jailed in July 2021 for attempting to solicit sexual images from a decoy posing as a 14-year-old girl. He was released from prison in August 2022 and was subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and required to register as a sex offender.

During a routine police check at his home on January 11, officers discovered Hodgkiss had created a new Instagram account using an unregistered username. They also found evidence that he had applied for Facebook and Instagram accounts and subsequently deleted them.

Hodgkiss admitted to police that he had intentionally created the accounts to communicate with others and deleted them to avoid detection.

Hodgkiss was initially snared by Guardians of the North in June 2020 when he engaged in sexually explicit conversations with a decoy posing as a 14-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 26 months in prison for his actions.

Hodgkiss pleaded guilty to breaching the sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with the sex offenders register. He was granted unconditional bail and will be sentenced at Teesside Crown Court on March 21.